


I did it for Love

by TangledMess



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: AU just to be on the safe side, Angst to a degree, Different Timeline/Different series of events/different life paths, Drama, F/F, Hardbroom family, Magical Pregnancy, Romance, Time Magic, Wait actually it will be pretty AU, a bit of adventure, a life without Cackles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-01-13 11:59:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 51,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18468514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TangledMess/pseuds/TangledMess
Summary: Pippa learns the truth of thirty years ago and does something drastic to change the very course of history! Will this outcome be better than the one both of them were living? She has good intentions, did it to give her best friend a new life, but as their paths cross and uncross, interesting things will unfold between them and the world they live in. When those truths come out which world will Pippa and Hecate choose to live in?Join the recourse of a life never lived as it is brought to life by Pippa's use of time magic.Welcome to a world where Cackles wasn't the beginning for Hecate, a life where she had both her parents and was brought up across the sea in mainland Europe, a life where things are better until they take a sharp turn and fear sets in.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got no idea what I'm doing but this came to mind. It is going to spin into an Alternative Universe very very soon, like next chapter ish so if you're here for this to be in cannon, no sorry. I'm trying something new with this. Might work, might not. No idea, I just feel like exploring this. So much is still up in the open about this show and its characters. Also this will my first attempt at writing romance along with first fic ever

Pippa stared in disbelief at the letter. The letter from one of her favorite students at Cackles was open, scrawled handwriting told a tale she never, never in a million years expected to read. It couldn’t be true, could it? No, surely not. Not in all the years she’d known the dark haired witch. But… She frowned. Could it hold any relation to what caused the sudden rift between them? If the story proved true then yes, she could see it being a catalyst for the abrupt slamming of the door. But why wouldn’t Hecate tell her the truth? What was so terrifying to actually telling her that she thought it was better to simply run away? 

Pippa sighed, massaging her temples. The more she thought about it, the less it made sense. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to demand answers. The anger bubbling beneath the surface rooted her to the chair. She couldn’t just storm Cackles, demanding answers, not when the incident just occurred and she still had a school to run but at the same time she wondered if Hecate needed her. There was only so much the letter said and so much that was still left unsaid, unspoken especially between the two of them.

“What a mess,” murmured Pippa. She pushed back her chair, rose to her feet, and walked to the window. She wrapped her arms around herself, lost in thought. 

The sun shined brightly above, untroubled by the recent evolution of events unlike her. She would have enjoyed today. In fact she should be enjoying today except she couldn’t. Her thoughts kept drifting to her best friend and the invisible wall erected between them, built long before Hecate had come into her life. Then in later years the brilliant witch solidified the wall, effectively committing to the wall.

Pippa looked at the grandfather clock ticking away peacefully in her office. Time kept moving but to her it felt sluggish as though time was beginning to abandon her as she allowed her thoughts to run wild. Since reading the blog posting, less than ten minutes had passed yet it felt like an hour. Unable to take it any longer, she grabbed her coat and gloves and left the office.

Passing by her deputy, she informed her of where she was going and should be back late tonight. Her deputy said it wasn’t a problem and Pippa had the suspicion she knew exactly what was going on in her mind but she shook the thought away. It wasn’t the time to get distracted. She needed answers. She needed to know. She needed the truth. She needed to hear the words from her best friend’s mouth.

Mounting her broom on the roof of her beloved school, Pippa lifted off. The fresh air did her some good. Focusing on the flight allowed her mind the distraction necessary to embrace the world around her. Her worries seemed so insignificant when looking down upon the forests and outer villages. Still, the nagging questions rang in the back of her mind. She struggled keeping them at bay, knowing if she continued to push the matter aside, she’d never find an end to the day.

The deep greens of the forest surrounding Cackles came into view and she found her heart pounding. It hammered against her ribcage, harder and harder the closer she got. Suddenly the castle came into view and she realized she didn’t know what to say, how to start, how to bring up the subject. It was already delicate treading when it came to Hecate. Certain aspects were off limits, had always been off limits, and she knew better than to force the issue. Now, however, she needed something to bring peace to her mind. She needed clarity.

With the sun at her back, offering its gentle warmth, Pippa landed on one of the many roofs belonging to Cackles. She had cast a cloaking spell earlier. Not wanting to draw attention from the students to her arrival because it wouldn’t do. Not at a time like this. 

Soft rose pink shoes touched the centuries old stone work, her broom hovering beside her after she hopped off, and Pippa took a deep breath. She pulled off her gloves, steeling herself against anything and everything that might come her way from this upcoming conversation until…

“Pippa?”

Pippa looked up, feeling her breath catch in her throat, her heart hammering faster before she let out a shaky breath. “Hi,” she said, plastering on her best smile, “I know this is unexpected but I was in the neighborhood.”

Hecate raised an eyebrow, skeptical at the words, but she didn’t have the energy to fight. Not today after everything that happened over the past few days. “Tea?”

“It’d be most welcome,” Pippa was grateful she wasn’t pressed for answers. She saw the exhaustion lining her friend’s face and it worried her.

“May I?” Hecate raised her hand for the familiar transference spell and when Pippa nodded, they disappeared from the roof. 

She took in the warmth of the private chambers of the potions mistress. The gentle fire flickering in its den, flooding the room with its warmth, and she caught the distinctive smell of white lilies and jasmine. A scent she hadn’t smelt in a long time. Pippa’s concern grew. She knew white lilies and jasmine were a cherished scent from Hecate’s childhood when she was gifted with her mother’s watch on her fifteenth birthday. It always brought comfort and solace when Hecate’s anxiety got the better of her. 

Pippa seated herself by the fire. Her magic picking up the small table and bringing it over as she banished her cloak and glove to the coat rack across the room. Inhaling the sweet aroma, she felt herself relaxing and past memories stirring. But she couldn’t allow herself to take too much of a stroll down memory lane. It wasn’t why she was here. Leaning back against the high back chair, she watched the flames, pondering her thoughts.

“What brings you here?” Hecate sat across from the blonde witch, the tea tray appearing on the table with the gentle flick of her hand. She poured them both a cup of the honey kissed rose and hibiscus tea before offering up a plate of sweet cookies and chocolates. “And don’t say you were in the neighborhood.”

Pippa smiled softly, “Of course you saw through that.” She picked up the fine china cup, cradling it in her hands, savoring the warmth and aroma. It would always be one of her favorite tea flavors and she was charmed, almost spoiled to always receive it whenever she visited since the Spelling Bee. “It’s a hard topic to approach,” she said after a long minute of silence. “Do you remember the time in fourth year when my experimental potion made the laundry disappear along with your favorite sweater?”

“You plainly refused to talk about it,” Hecate’s lips quirked up in a small smile, “If I remember correctly you avoided me for two weeks.” 

“I was so afraid of what you’d say,” Pippa said, “I know how much you had cherished that sweater.”

“I saved up a year to buy it.”

Pippa nodded, “I thought you’d never speak to me again and I cried the entire time I was telling you what happened but you just smiled. I couldn’t figure out why until you said we could reverse the potions effects. We spent the entire night working. I learned so much from you and about you that night. You were there when I needed you. When I thought you’d run away and be angry.” She gave a small watery chuckle. Taking a sip from her tea, she felt warmth seep down her throat and nestle in her stomach, warming her after she set her cup down. “The thing was you were there for me. And I want to be there for you.”

Hecate’s forehead creased in confusion, “I don’t understand.”

“Mildred sent me a letter.” Pippa reached across, grasping Hecate’s warm hand, stopping her from getting up. “Please let me explain. I understand why you feel angry at Mildred. She had no right to tell me about it. It should have come from you but I fear this is something you’d never tell me unless absolutely necessary.” Her thumb stroked the back of Hecate’s hand and Pippa continued when the other witch didn’t move. “She did it because she couldn’t understand the weight you’ve been carrying on your shoulders and in your heart for the past thirty years. I sense that Mildred doesn’t know the whole story.”

“No,” came the whispered response. She couldn’t look at Pippa with her kind eyes, her soft warming smile, her brightness that lit up any room she walked into. This was the dread Hecate had sensed over the last few days since the end of her confinement. This was the fear that kept her rooted to the Cackles even though she no longer wore the invisible shackles. Her heart pounded in double time, racing through her veins, thrumming beneath her wrist where her pulse was strongest and she feared Pippa would feel it. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to speak. Her mouth was too dry. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. 

“Hecate.”

The gentle way her name was spoken caused tears to prickle the corners of her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I am so, so sorry.”

“Whatever for?” Pippa leaned forward. She tried catching her best friend’s gaze but couldn’t instead she took Hecate’s hand from the table, grasping it between both of hers. “There is nothing to apologize for.” 

“You would say that,” muttered Hecate but her voice lacked any bite instead she sounded defeated. Defeated and exhausted and scared. Everything was coming to a head and she wanted to run but there was no where to run too because she didn’t know what existed out there aside from what she managed to scrounge and piece together in her mind. It was hardly a truth of reality.

“Tell me what happened,” said Pippa. Her magic reached out, lifting the table and shifting it aside as the two chairs formed a long comfortable couch. She gently pulled her best friend closer, surprised and relieved when Hecate came willingly. Their knees touched and she kept her hands clasped around Hecate’s, watching the witch carefully. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Does it have to be a pink couch?”

Pippa laughed, a soft musical melody. The color wasn’t at the forefront of her mind but she did change it to a rich emerald green, knowing how well Hecate had loved the color in her teenage years but avoided wearing in adulthood. Another mystery she hoped to solve one day. “Better?”

Hecate nodded lightly. She smiled at the color, a lightness encased her heart at Pippa remembering the color but then the dread set in again. She wasn’t sure how she was going to tell the story without cry, without breaking down her own walls, without it resulting in Pippa running away, out of her life for good this time. There would be no more meddling students to bring them together, no competition, no talks, no slow and steady learning steps on rediscovering familiar and foreign. 

She took a shaky breath. There was nothing to do but tell the story and get it out in the open. She’d face the consequences at the end. Turning her hand over she interlaced their fingers, savoring the feeling as possibly the last time. Hecate looked at the fire, wondering where to begin and realized the story couldn’t be complete unless Pippa knew another secret of hers.

“I was raised in the Blaire Shire Orphanage until it’s closing. They transferred us closer to Mayweather Orphanage. That’s how I came to Cackles. As you know I didn’t know my parents. Some distant family members are probably out there in the Hardbroom family but I’ve never bothered looking. As far as I can tell neither have they.” Hecate didn’t feel sorrow at that fact. Once she had but distant family that didn’t want her weren’t exactly family nor were they worth the emotional upset she could have put herself through. “I used to sneak out of the school at night.” She smiled at Pippa’s surprised look. “It was something I had always done. Even at the orphanage. I would wander around, looking for the perfect spot to watch the stars. It sounds so foolish but back then when I used to look up at the universe I didn’t feel so alone anymore.”

Hecate waved aside the concern, “It was a long time ago.” She steeled herself with a deep breath. “One night I bumped into this girl. She wasn’t much older than I was. I hadn’t been looking where I was going. The sky was lit up by fireworks as a festival was in town but back then festivals were never the proper place for a witch.” 

“Her name was Indigo Moon. A non witch. She and I quickly became friends.” Hecate paused, lost in memories that felt like a lifetime ago, another life even. “It was frowned upon. Witches and ordinaries being friends. I didn’t know any better because she was the first friend I ever had. And I took something far more precious from her because I was selfish.”  
The silence seemed to stretch on between them and when Pippa realized the dark haired witch wasn’t going to continue either because she was lost in her memories or allowing the guilt to consume her, she spoke, “You were a child.”

“A reckless, foolish child.” Hecate shook her head. “I tried to make her like me. A witch. It was supposed to be so simple. One wishing star for a friendship that I thought was going to last forever.”

“A wishing star…” gasped Pippa.

“I know,” Hecate nodded, “It was dangerous but I didn’t know that. I gave her magic and it was this wondrous thing. For the first time in my life I wasn’t going to be completely alone but the cost was a heavy one. The magic from the wishing star began changing Indigo. It made her less and less like the friend I had and into this uncontrollable storm. In the end she turned to stone and I’ve been confined to Cackles since.” 

Hecate felt exhausted. The story was too detailed but it was out there for the first time in thirty years. The weight remained nestled around her heart as she carefully extracted her hand from Pippa’s warmth. She braved a glance at the beautiful blonde, not quite understanding the emotion in those brown eyes, and quickly looked back to the fire. She waited with a racing heart and an echoing pulse for Pippa to simply get up and leave. It was inevitable. The only logical conclusion regardless of the screaming in her heart not to let the pink witch disappear from her life again. 

“When you say confined,” said Pippa as she slowly began digesting the information. It was this end part that enraptured her attention. A very particular way of saying she stayed at the school that cost her a very dear part of her heart and yet if she knew Hecate as well as she thought she did, that very sentence spoke volumes. Pippa, however, didn’t want to make assumptions. 

“Mrs Cackle, Alma, that is,” Hecate swallowed the lump in her throat. She hadn’t ever talked about the punishment she received and how, even in recent years after Alma’s retirement, it was never lifted or talked about. “Alma Cackle bound me to the academy and its grounds. I cannot step past those gates.”

“For a mistake you made as a child?”

“Yes.”

Suddenly thunder clapped outside. Its loud crack caused the potions mistress to jump in her seat. She looked at the windows and saw the rain hammering against the glass and stone. It was strange. There wasn’t a storm in the forecast. Another volley to thunder cleaved the skies, this one drumming its way louder and louder until the echoing snap came. Flashes of lightning accompanied it. 

Hecate rose from the couch, entranced by the storm. It was unlike anything she’d ever witnessed summoned by Mother Nature. Before she could get far, slender fingers wrapped around her wrist, stopping her from moving further away. 

Impossibly dark eyes stared down where the soft hand with pink nail polish was curled around her wrist. Pippa’s skin burned against hers. She felt the magic moving beneath their skin. Vague was the thought of how Pippa had managed to find her wrist underneath her sleeve and not just simply touch the fabric.

“They’ve kept you prisoner.”

There was something strange in the way Pippa spoke the words. Something foreign she hadn’t heard before or heard too long ago that she no longer remembered where to place it. Carefully and tantalizingly slow Hecate’s gaze roamed from where they were touching to Pippa’s face. Her heart received a painful jolt at the sight. Outside the skies were brightened by lightning before fading. Kneeling down, she placed her hand over Pippa’s. Not quite daring herself to reach out further. “Why are you crying, Pipsqueak?” 

“Why?” Pippa whirled to look at the other witch in disbelief. Tears streaming down her cheeks. “You were imprisoned for thirty years. For your entire life. You’ve never got to experience the world.”

“It was my punishment to carry,” said Hecate, “I took away an innocent life.”

“You were a child!”

“Pippa.”

Pippa shook her head, rising to her feet as the storm grew stronger outside. Thunder rumbled dangerously close to the castle. Hecate rose with her, their hands still intertwined. “I don’t understand,” said Pippa. Her mind swirled from the story, from the deemed punishment, from everything. She couldn’t make heads or tails of it as anger consumed her. Cackles had always been this great school, this wonderful academy for the witching world. Most children wanted to go to it if they were given a choice. Goddess knew she had wanted to go to Cackles when she was little but her parents had first chosen a different school. 

But knowing this: that a headmistress would dare confine a student forever to its grounds over a mistake. It shattered all the good she once associated with the academy. Cackles wasn’t the standing of a good school. No, it was the standing of the centuries old tradition that deemed the harshest and cruelest punishments were necessary; where someone was meant to carry the impossible weight on their shoulders instead of learning how to make amends. The very result was standing next to her. Something that never should have happened. Hecate had such an amazing future ahead of her. One mistake forced it apart because adults thought it proper to take away not just one life but two. And who in their right mind gave out wishing stars anyway? 

Pippa campaigned against such a notion. Stardust was hardly proper in the hands of young witches. The stuff came from the cosmos and held far greater power than any of them ever imagined. Even researchers couldn’t fully understand it because the Great Wizard thought it was a shiny little prize to give out to students. And then he dared get angry at the results when something like this happened. Oh, how the petty actions of the council should be changed. Alas she was only one witch and she could only do so much alone. Even now she fought to keep her school open with its modern practices and things “traditional” witches didn’t quite understand. No, it was easier to protest against something than make the effort to understand it.

And what a fool she had been! She hadn’t known any of this when the abrupt end to their friendship came. She had hated Hecate, had tried so very hard. The mere thought of her whirlwind of emotions made her feel sick. They weren’t proper, not knowing what she knew now. If only she could change the past.  
An idea dawned on her. She could make amends to the past. The anger still fresh beneath her skin, given the storm outside, Pippa turned to Hecate and smiled. “I’m going to fix this.”

Hecate frowned, confusion etched on her face. “What are you talking about?”

Pippa wrapped her arms around her best friend, lingering a bit longer in the hug than she normally would have, and when she pulled back she placed a kiss on the taller witch’s forehead. “You’ll see. Come visit me tomorrow.”

“Pippa-” Hecate stuttered, “What- what?”

Pippa winked and summoned her racing magic to whisk her away in a transference spell. Outside the castle the storm raged harder. Lightning skirted across the skies after thunder cleaved it, leaving Hecate standing by the fire. Sudden dread filled her heart. “No,” she whispered, “Pippa wouldn’t…” But it made sense didn’t it? The sudden emotional change in the pink witch, the glint in her eyes, the abundance of magic. She felt the anger in Pippa’s power, knew the storm had come from her, but this…  
Hecate took a deep breath. No, Pippa wouldn’t be that foolish. She kept repeating that over and over in her mind. It did little to abide the heaviness in her heart. She knew Pippa could be reckless and utterly impulsive at times. But this crossed the lines into pure fool’s play. Did she dare?

Hecate looked outside. The storm was dangerous. Unlike anything she witnessed before and like the sudden coming of the storm, Hecate felt what Pippa was about to do was going to shake the very foundations of the witching community. Steeling herself, the dark haired witch mustered her courage and summoned her magic. She’d never been to Pentangles before but she knew what it looked like. She pieced the little snippets of Pippa’s office together in her mind, at least what she gathered from their mirror chats and seconds later Hecate Hardbroom disappeared in the transference spell, taking her farther away than ever before, leaving Cackles behind in hopes of stopping what she assumed was going to take place.

If only she wasn’t too late…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Thank you for reading this first chapter!  
> Updates will be every Sunday. Sometimes earlier if I got a busy weekend ahead!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a busy weekend ahead so here's an early update. A big thank you to everyone who read the first chapter and enjoyed it!

Stars danced across her field of vision. Black spots seeped in and out as her vertigo refused her calling. She stumbled against the stone wall. The cold was a small comfort but she felt the upheaval in her stomach. Never before had Hecate made such a long transference and it showed. The wooziness in her head brought on the stronger pounding of her heart as it hammered behind her temples and in her throat. She struggled with the onslaught of uneasiness, the lack of control, the uncomfortableness of the situation. But then she remembered why she was here and squashed down those feelings. 

Searching for her magic, Hecate took a steadying breath. Her eyes closed, she counted to an uneasy ten or maybe it was just five. It didn’t matter. When she opened her eyes again, she knew where she was. From the bright pastel colors, to the rich velvet curtains and the beautiful mahogany table but she wasn’t here to take in the scenery. It was as she looked around she realized her magic was coming and going.

The floor was covered by thick fog. She thought she glimpsed a white rug by the fireplace but couldn’t be certain as the thick grey fog drifted over everything. Looking up, Hecate heard the crackle of thunder. Her vision went white, blinded by the flash coming from the cauldron residing in the center of the office. She opened her mouth to call out but her voice faltered instead all she could do was stare at the beautiful blonde witch in awe.

She had always known Pippa held a specialty for weather magic. It was as much evident back when they were children as it was when she visited Cackles and drove away the storm with such ease. Elements were done with such elegance when it came to Pippa Pentangle that Hecate couldn’t help but stare, almost hypnotized by what she was seeing. Then somehow she came back to her senses, she was here to stop her friend from doing something she might regret later on.

“Pippa!” Hecate called over the thundering storm brewing within the office. Wind gusted past her and she felt her tight bun loosen. Not caring about such matters, she stepped forward but the wind pushed against her, forcing her back. “Pippa, stop this!”

Lost in her own thoughts, in the whirlwind of getting the spell right, the carefully selected ingredients, the words, Pippa was using her anger to fuel the weather. It acted as her shield and she hadn’t noticed the company. Still thinking she was alone in her office, she moved her hand over the table strewn with ingredients. A pile of finely combed golden sand floated into the air, hovering before the witch as she separated out the amount she needed. Adding it into the cauldron, a bubbling hiss rose forth. Next she added three raven eyes, followed by the white crow feathers, and several finely sliced roots from an ancient oak tree.

Hecate’s eyes widened at the series of ingredients. She knew the spell, had read about it in the forbidden texts, knew it was never meant to be attempted. Struggling to move closer, the wind kept her at bay. She had to get through to the other witch but how? Looking around she noticed the crystal chandelier and it wasn’t ideal but if she could break Pippa’s concentration she could very well destroy the potion before it was unleashed.

She allowed the wind to push her further back until its strength waned. Hecate reached back, steadying herself as she summoned her magic. Ropes appeared in her hands and instantly they shot out, wrapping around the chandelier. It was a beautiful thing and she hated destroying it but it was a small price to pay compared to what Pippa was about to unleash. With a powerful yank she pulled the chandelier from its holdings, flicking her wrists the ropes fell away.

The expected crash did not come instead it was the wind that reached out, cradling the chandelier, lifting it up before setting it aside elsewhere. Soon it disappeared beneath the rolling fog. 

“Pippa! You must stop this!”

The blonde witch looked up for the first time. On either side hovered a wishing star and the small vial of the mists. She offered the other a sad smile. “Oh darling,” she said, the storm dying down and the silence felt magnified within the office, “It’s the right thing to do.”

“No,” Hecate shook her head, “No, Pippa, it isn’t. You can’t change the past. I made a grave mistake and it cost me impossibly much. Do not make the same mistake. Think about this!”

Pippa transferred over to where Hecate was, leaving them standing a few feet apart. “I already have.”

“Ten minutes hardly counts.”

“Oh, Hecate, I know I can be impulsive but this isn’t like that,” said Pippa. “No one should have to suffer the fate you did for a mistake done as a child. You deserve a life.”

“I can live a life now,” countered the dark haired witch.

“Yes, I suppose you can but it isn’t the same now is it? You never got to experience the world, to travel, to go out there and meet others, to see and feel other magic. It’s not the same doing it now as it as a child,” said Pippa, “I’ll admit I am angry at what Cackles has done to you. You’ve had such promise all taken away because people were afraid of you and that isn’t right. And it isn’t fair.”

“Pippa…”

Pippa looked away, thinking carefully over her next words, “I thought long and hard after I received Mildred’s letter and this did cross my mind. I could let it be as it is but that’s not right. We have the power to make things better, to create a better future but most of our society is still stuck in the dark ages and that is holding us back on so many levels.”

“You won’t change that with this.”

“No, you’re right I won’t. But I will be able to give you a better life than being confined to Cackles for thirty years.” Pippa transferred back to her cauldron, knowing if she continued the conversation she might be convinced to abandon this task. Hecate had that kind of spell over her but she couldn’t let that happen. Not this time around. Not when she was already this far into it. Now there was nothing left to do but to see it through. 

“Pippa, please,” said Hecate, “Let go of this foolishness.”

Pippa was quiet for a long minute. The two items hovering next to her and part of Hecate thought she just might abandon this but as the wishing star was dropped into the cauldron turning it a brilliant sky blue, she noticed Pippa shaking her head. “Perhaps I am the fool for falling in love with you and then having our future taken away by people who had no right to decide. But I can change that and I will. Please, don’t stop me. Please, don’t make me force my hand.”

It would have been easier to give in and let Pippa do what she wanted. It should have been but this magic was forbidden for a reason. Hecate shook her head, tears in her eyes, “I can’t. I’m sorry, Pipsqueak.”

Pippa smiled sadly, “Me too, Hiccup.”

Hecate threw out her magic. It cut through the slowly rising weather but Pippa was prepared for her. Their combined magics clashed against one another, blinding both of them as the office was rocked by a miniature explosion. Hecate heard the world ringing in her ears when suddenly a force threw her back against the wall. The breath expelled from her lungs. Her head pounding from where it hit the stone. Struggling to suck in the much needed air, Hecate looked up and through the blurred recesses of her vision, she saw Pippa dropping the mists into the cauldron.

Somehow she stepped forward, summoning a spell, but Pippa was faster. Her eyes glowed white was lightning flashed and the cauldron turned a deep midnight blue. It wafted over the edges of the cauldron before rising up. Thunder echoed in the office and the walls began to crack, peeling away in waves as the blue smoke consumed everything.

It was too late. 

Hecate tried reaching out, getting closer to Pippa and stopping her in that manner but Pippa had already reached into the blue smoke and allowed it to transfer her away. Helplessly Hecate allowed the smoke to consume her, wondering just what was going to happen because now she was lost to time’s and Pippa’s will. 

****

Birds chirped happily in the bright sunny day. A light wind picked up the smells of fresh grass and blooming flowers and the first full week of spring. It was a perfect day on the grounds of Cackles Academy. The castle stood, rooted like a fortress, but even its colors seemed cheerful at the warming weather. The woods surrounding the castle swayed, the high branches blocking out the strength of the sun but it allowed some filtered streams through. It was in the forest where the air began shimmering. 

A pink clad witch appeared nestled between some of the trees which granted her the support she needed from the sudden travel. Leaning against a thick tree, she felt the bark dig into her dress but didn’t care. The vertigo in her head was spinning out of control. She couldn’t remember the exact travel method she went through, simply that she reached into the smoke and disappeared. Everything was a blur after that.

Pippa breathed in the air, slow and steady, her eyes closed as she waited for everything to come back together and as it did she opened her eyes. The forest of Cackles surrounded her. That was good sign to say the least. She looked around, knowing no one was here but she had the distinct feeling someone would be joining her soon. Pushing away from the trees, she smoothed down her dress and walked in the direction of the academy, hoping this was the right time in the past.

After several minutes, she began hearing the laughter of children and paused. She took in the facts of what Hecate told her, knowing the witch didn’t have friends at school for the longest time and as she looked at the castle she wondered from where she would sneak away. 

Kneeling, Pippa held her hand above a tiny flower and summoned her magic. The past was a strange thing and while she was technically already alive, or so she hoped, she wasn’t sure if her magic would work here. Murmuring a spell, she watched her hand glow gold before the flower rose in height and blossomed its rich dark purple and black colors. Smiling, Pippa performed the locating spell and transferred away.

The pink witch stumbled out of the transference. While her magic worked in the past, it expended too much energy in order to keep up. This wasn’t her timeline, at least not her adult timeline and she knew she didn’t have long left here. Forcing herself upright on her feet, she walked the remaining steps where she came upon a clearing. 

In the clearing were two girls. One with the familiar dark hair that could only belong to Hecate Hardbroom and the other must have been Indigo Moon. She vaguely remembered the girl considering how short her supposed stay at Cackles was and how the academy was all too eager to bury the incident. There was a slight stab of pain in her heart at what she was about to do but she knew that past mistakes couldn’t be repeated not while she had the chance to change it. 

Pippa chose to wait a bit longer in the shadows provided by the trees. She had to make sure this Hecate had the wishing star with her. It wouldn’t do to scare the girl off now only to attempt the spell at a later date. She silenced her movements and felt it drain her energy further. She hadn’t taken the magical expenditure into account when she performed the high level forbidden time spell. 

Circling around the girls, she listened and watched their exchange carefully. It was painfully obvious the closeness already between the girls, how their friendship was cemented regardless of the difference in their cultural standing and that was something that should be encourage. Yes, it could raise the jealous and envy of the ordinaries since they held no magical powers but that was a small price. It could bring so much to both sides, so much they could both learn from each other. Why should one world be kept secret while the other continued running around like conquers and kings?

It was then Pippa watched the wishing star coming out of Hecate’s pocket. Someone gasped, she guessed it was Indigo. It wasn’t every day that one got to see a wishing star up close, to say the least. She noted Hecate opening her mouth, most likely to suggest the very mistake that would see her confined to Cackles for thirty years, and Pippa stepped out of the forest’s shadows and into the clearing. 

The girls quickly noticed her. Both took a step back, Hecate hiding her hands behind her back. A glare, not quite as frightening as she could pull as an adult, adorning her young features. “Who are you?”

“I’m a visiting headmistress,” said Pippa gently, “And I see you have a wishing star.” 

“Yeah, so?” said the youngster. 

“Do you understand the full properties of a wishing star?”

Slowly the young Hecate shook her head and Pippa gave her a reassuring smile. “Neither do I because the truth is no one does. We don’t fully understand what magic is in a wishing star.”

“Isn’t someone studying it?” asked Indigo, intrigued by the notion. She nudged Hecate’s shoulder and the other carefully brought the wishing star out from behind her back. 

“Sadly no,” Pippa shook her head. She eyed the wishing star curiously. It wasn’t so much different than the one she had used and probably not so different than what Mildred had used to give her own mother magic. It was odd the wishing stars were always the same but giving them out to children was the gravest mistake. “The Great Wizard thinks it’s better to give them as a reward to little children than to study them. See, they come from up there.” Pippa pointed at the sky.

“Everyone knows that,” scoffed Hecate.

Pippa smiled, “Yes, I suppose they do. But what everyone doesn’t know is that space is endless. It has no walls, no ceiling, no structure. It’s constantly stretching and shrinking. Occasionally something like this star will fall down and sometimes we get lucky enough to harvest it. But even then it could take whole centuries to understand it. Without proper study and understanding terrible things can happen when using a wishing star.”

“Like what?” 

Pippa noted both girls were curious although Indigo, not knowing much about magic, held a far great curiosity and she could see why Hecate would want someone like that by her side. Indigo was almost as curious as Hecate in dealing with the unknown. She didn’t want to admit it but Indigo would have made a brilliant witch too. Instead Pippa decided to tell them a story, of sorts. 

“Well I had a friend once,” started Pippa, “She was a brilliant witch with a whole future ahead of her but as a child, she made a grave mistake. She used a wishing star to give her closest friend magic. It’s forbidden to give an ordinary person magic that they are not born with. It can run havoc with their system. But the star oversees such things. Seeing as how it’s regulated by cosmic forces.”

Indigo’s eyes grew wide, “So her friend became a witch?”

The excitement was evident in the girl’s voice and Pippa felt her smile fall away. “Yes, but sadly only for a brief period. The magic from the star was too much for the little girl. It consumed her, changed her, and soon she no longer had any control over her magic.”

“What happened then?” 

Pippa noticed the slight crack in Hecate’s voice and felt her heart go out to the child. She knew it was tough, given how set Hecate had been at the time to see her only friend become a witch, but this was for Hecate, this was to give her a better future. “The star’s magic threatened everything in sight, threatened to tear the very land apart, but neither of them could allow that to happen and so the young girl who wanted to be a witch was turned to stone forever.” 

Indigo gasped. Hecate took a step back, nearly dropping the wishing star but managed to keep hold of it. Hecate stared at the wishing star, both in awe and fear at it’s incredible power. And Pippa couldn’t help wondering what was going through the young girl’s mind.

“What happened to the girl?” she asked quietly, “The one who was a witch.”

“She was imprisoned for the rest of her life. The Great Wizard gives these things out freely and then gets mad when the magic is used wrongly.”

“That’s not fair!”

“He’s a stupid old man!” 

Pippa laughed lightly, “He’s in a position of power where he does not always realize the consequences. Children are curious. They will experiment with magic whether it’s testing the limits of their own or by means such as a wishing star. He doesn’t understand that children make mistakes and choses to punish them for the rest of their lives.”

“Has anyone ever successfully done a spell with a wishing star?” questioned Hecate.

“No,” said Pippa, “all of them have gone wrong. It’s why most witches and wizards keep their wishing stars tightly contained. Most see them as beautiful center pieces and dare not venture into spellwork with a star. But it is a very high honor to receive one. You should feel very special.” 

Hecate’s face dropped and she shook her head. “I don’t. I wanted to use the star for my own gain but it’s not right is it? I don’t want Indigo to get hurt. I just wanted to have a friend in school. Someone who wasn’t going to tease me all the time or knock my books down.”

Indigo put her arm around her friend’s shoulders and laughed, “We’ll get them another way. There are plenty of ordinary tricks we can do to get back at them. We’ll make them think it’s magic! And I know a brilliant one.”

Pippa watched them go, vaguely hearing the words about cola and a package of mentos. Whatever those were supposed to be. She shook her head. Those two were going to be devils and while she was sure Hecate wouldn’t be confined to Cackles this time around, she certainly knew the young witch was going to raise just a tiny bit of hell against her bullies. Turning back to the forest, Pippa froze. There standing in the very same shadows she had been was her Hecate. It appeared the time spell pulled her through as well.

“You’re not going to berate me?” she questioned when the potions mistress stepped into the clear. It was then Hecate finally looked away from the retreating youths and looked at her with an unreadable expression in her dark eyes.

They stood in silence, facing each other. Neither knowing what to say but Pippa knew in her heart that she had made the right call. It wasn’t until several minutes later that she felt a very light tug on her sleeve. Turning aside she came face to face with the younger Hecate and was puzzled by the sight.

“I want you to have it,” said the younger Hecate. She held out the wishing star to the pink witch. “You said it was a beautiful thing. The wishing star. So it’s only right it goes to someone who’s pretty.”

Unable to say anything, Pippa took the wishing star and watched the young girl take off running. She felt Hecate appear at her side, rigid and firm, and Pippa wanted nothing more than to collapse into the other’s arms but such a thing wasn’t warranted now was it? She felt exhausted from the travel, from being back in the past, from the storms and the expelled magic of the day. Sighing, Pippa looked down at the wishing star in her hand.

“It appears I’ve always had a soft spot for you,” Hecate said softly.

“Aren’t you mad at me?”

“Mad? No.” Hecate shook her head, “I don’t think I could ever be mad at you. At least not for long. I’m worried about you. Your actions were impulsive and hotheaded. Do you even have any plans on how to get back? Do you even know what you’ll go back to?”

“It’s part of the surprise really as long as it’s a better future for you,” said Pippa, “And we can always get back with this. It’ll use up the wishing star and maybe it’s better that way.”

“There are things we still have to discuss.”

“Yes, I suppose there are. But if we’ll remember remains to be seen.” 

“You’re not going to avoid this discussion,” said Hecate. 

Pippa smiled and suddenly felt very lightheaded. She took a step forward and felt herself falling. A pair of strong hands grabbed her by shoulders. Vaguely did she see Hecate’s beautiful face swimming in and out of her vision before the world went black. She thought she could hear her name being called. 

The wishing star floated around them. Quiet and unassuming, glowing its brilliant color. The timeline forever changed. 

****

It was a peculiar thing that happened, Hecate thought, she was about to use the wishing star to turn Indigo into a witch when this quite gorgeous woman appeared in the forest. Half expecting her to be one of the fabled fae creatures, she’d definitely be a queen of that Hecate was sure, but was surprised at the lesson they learned. In truth Hecate had become quite fearful when she was told the story of the woman's friend. Being turned to stone sounded like a pain and then imprisoned for life wasn’t exactly an ideal punishment. It appeared children of magic were being punished as adults if they did something wrong. 

Yes, lots of things went through Hecate’s young mind. Everything from sneaking out of school, to the beautiful witch garbed in pink, to the mysteries of the wishing star. But most of it would be forgotten. During chanting period she was called to the headmistress’s office and with her heart racing in her chest, she made her way to the ominous door. 

She stared at the heavy door. Not wanting to linger but also not wanting to go inside, she feared the headmistress had noticed her sneaking off the grounds. Did the other headmistress say something? No, Hecate’s young mind didn’t believe the witch would betray her. But maybe it was that other witch with her. The one dressed in dark robes and a dangerously steely spine. Now that one looked quite terrifying but if she and the other headmistress were friends, surely neither of them would tell the Cackles headmistress about the incident. 

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Hecate raised her hand and knocked thrice upon the heavy door. It opened, revealing the out of breath Alma Cackle. Her cheeks red from embarrassment or was it anger? Either one wasn’t a good sign because Hecate knew it spelt trouble. 

“In you get, Hardbroom,” said Alma, standing with her back against the door and forcing the young witch to squeeze past her. 

The office had a cold feel to it even with the fire burning in the fireplace and the windows letting in the sun light. Hecate cautiously looked around. She’d been here before and never once enjoyed any second of it. But then she noticed another presence. A woman with a navy blue jacket and a dark ruby hat adorned with flowers sitting across from the headmistress’s desk. Slowly the woman turned, her piercing blue eyes caught hers causing the young girl to bump against the wall. Rich ruby lips spread into a dazzling smile and the mysterious dark red haired woman got to her feet. 

Underneath her navy jacket she was wearing a white blouse speckled with pink flowers and a navy skirt that ended just at the ankles. Pointed boots were spit spot clean and she walked with a brisk pace that screamed of elegance. Hecate couldn’t help it when her mouth dropped open at the sight of the other woman. 

“I suspect you’ll want a moment or two alone,” said Alma Cackle, bringing Hecate out of her daze but she still couldn’t pull her eyes away from the woman.

“Yes, that would do kindly.” The woman smiled but same as Hecate, she couldn’t take her eyes off the young girl. The door clicked shut behind them and the woman took a tentative step forward. She sighed after opening and closing her mouth several times. “I’m usually much better with children than this. But I suppose none of those are mine which makes this a bit hard.” 

“Wh-who are you?” Hecate managed to squeak out. Something about this woman was known to her, something in her magic. She could sense it reaching out to greet her at the halfway mark, but the young girl remained wary. “Are you a witch?”

“Am I a witch?” repeated the woman with a roll of her eyes. “I usually say no because magic isn’t real to those outside and they always forget afterwards.” Her eyes looked the girl up and down. “Am I a witch? Yes, I am a witch. Are you?” 

Hecate scoffed at the question, “Of course I am.” 

The woman tsked, “I haven’t heard a tone like that in some time. Truly did get more from you didn’t she?” She took a couple steps closer. “You’re Joy Hecate Hardbroom. Do you know why you were given two names?”

Hecate shook her head, “No, I’m an orphan.”

“Yes, about that,” the woman wrung her fingers together uncomfortably, “How to explain this? Where to start? I suppose I could just come out with it but that might be a bit much.”

“The great Mary Poppins being cautious. That’ll make headlines for sure,” squawked a voice behind her.

Hecate peered behind the woman and saw no one there but an umbrella and a suitcase resting beside the chair. The woman, supposedly called Mary Poppins, heaved a great sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I should have stuffed your beak first. You’re lucky they don’t have a basket.”

The umbrella, Hecate saw now the parrot’s head carved into the handle, gave a great squawk and fell silent. It hated being with other umbrellas since none of them were talkative.

Hecate turned back to the woman who had her hands on her hips and was glaring at the umbrella. She frowned, “Mary Poppins? Am I supposed to know who you are?”

“Yes, you should,” snapped Mary but then she knelt, “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. You don’t know who I am because it wasn’t your choice. It wasn’t my choice either. And I’d like to make that up to you.” She waved her hand causing her suitcase to become unlatched. A single manilla folder floated out of it and stopped before Hecate. “You see, Joy Hecate Hardbroom, I’m your mother and I’m here to take you away from this school. Unless you’d rather stay. Everything you may want to know is in that folder.”

And that was how the whirlwind of the truth came out and Hecate found herself leaving the dreary walls of Cackles behind, beginning a new life she had never imagined before except for in her wildest dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, kudos, readers you are all amazing! Until next update!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I'd update every Sunday but that's flown out the window at the rate I'm writing this story. New chapter! Yay!  
> Now remember time magic has been involved and it obviously changes what the "norm" is and this is just a theory, my version of such and I'm running with it. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.  
> Any and all mistakes are mine. My apologies.  
> On to the chapter, we go

Indigo Moon tapped the bottom of the sign back and forth, waiting and waiting. All the passengers were filing past her as she stretched to see above the crowd. Yes, she did grow during high school, a couple of inches. She had hoped for a bit more but she wasn’t so short anymore. Still, she needed a stool to reach the upper shelves but she made certain not to keep anything that high up anyway. Unlike the one she was waiting for, who could reach the height with ease or by magic. Indigo Moon, now nineteen, jumped a bit on the spot to see if she could spot the familiar, lanky, tall, dark haired build of her best friend. 

“Boo,” came a voice from right beside her ear.

Indigo screamed and jumped back, bumping to a couple of angry passengers and quickly apologized. “You idiot,” she swatted her best friend with the sign, hardly doing damage but she couldn’t stop the smile from coming across her lips at the laughing sight. “Hecate Hardbroom as I live and breath,” she wrapped her arms around the witch and pulled her into a tight hug.

“You just saw me a couple of months ago,” muttered Hecate, returning the hug.

“Shut up and let me have this. Ugh, why are you so tall?” she said after pulling back. 

“I can conjure you a stool next time if it would help.” Those were the wrong words as they earned her another whack on the arm with the sign. Hecate laughed freely, tossing her long raven locks over her shoulder. 

Indigo laced her arm through her friend’s, resting it in the crook of her elbow, and led her from the airport. “Welcome back to England,” she announced when they stepped out. “One crazy fun filled week before we get serious about adulthood.”

“You make it sound like the end of the world,” said Hecate.

“It kind of is, if you think about it,” replied Indigo.

“Right, I think I could do without that kind of talk.”

Indigo grinned, “Yes, so tell me about the whole ‘oh-no-Pippa’s-hot-now’ situation.”

Hecate stopped walking, “I never said that.”

“Hmm, I distinctly remember you telling me she’s hot.”

“Not in those words.”

“Ha, so you’re not denying it!”

“You are impossible.”

“Oh come on, your ma and her mother are coworkers-”

“Who bicker more than work together.”

“So it’s a healthy rivalry,” shrugged Indigo. She unlocked her car, “Listen, let’s go get a cup of tea at this great café that I know and you tell me all about Pippa.”

Hecate frowned, “There’s nothing to tell.”

“Pish posh,” Indigo shook her head, “You two have known each other for years.”

“We hardly see one another.”

“We could look her up. I mean you are in the same country.”

“I am here on vacation. Nothing more.”

“You’re being impossible. Here I am looking out for your wellbeing.” Indigo shot a glare when Hecate scoffed at the words. “Come on, you two would work brilliantly together.”

“I’m not talking about this.” The dark haired witch pulled open the door and got in the car, slamming it shut behind her.

Indigo smiled, “Oh I’ll get it out of you yet.” She got in the car but didn’t bring up the topic again. No, she’d wait a bit longer before teasing out the truth. Ah, how time flew and before you knew it your best friend was in love and downright denying it. She could probably get away with sending a message to the blonde, inviting her down to the magical party that was going on in two days. But first a good cup of tea was needed. 

****

There was a quaint little café located outside of the city where Indigo parked the car. Its rustic roof overgrown with thick green moss and vines climbing along one side of the building. It gave off a sort of magical feel because it was magical alright. Indigo discovered this spot about a year ago and took Hecate there who confirmed the magical owners but they weren’t opposed to have ordinary folk come around. Indigo felt like it was their spot. A quiet place away from the hustle and bustle of the city for her and familiar treading ground for Hecate who preferred the magical community far above that of the ordinary folk. Somehow though their friendship survived the years, something Indigo was eternally grateful and the two of them became close like sisters. Once upon a time Indigo did wish she was a witch but as she grew older, she was content without powers. It felt like too much of a hassle at times and complicated given the dusty old tomes and texts Hecate read through. Probably was a bore too but she couldn’t deny something quite… magical about magic. Best not in her hands though.

Sliding into their usual booth, even though they should be frequenting the café more, Indigo relaxed against the soft cushions and breathed in the comforting scents always curling through the café. She smelled rich coffee and exotic teas, the added hint of lavender from the fireplace. “Remember the first time we came here?”

“Your driving was quite subpar.”

“Hey!”

Hecate arched an eyebrow, “It’s improved. Slightly.”

“I’d like to see you do better. A car is different from a broomstick, thank you very much.”

The waitress came by, taking their orders for tea and sandwiches. The flight from Spain hadn’t been long but Hecate was famished after the travel. Plus this café had some of the best food England had to offer. She saw the stark differences between the magical communities though. Her mothers had warned her about it. Main land Europe had modernized over the years, moving forward with time, and while castles were still the main structure for schools, many branched out, creating smaller buildings or outdoor classes during the summer time. Eastern Europe saw a rise in its magical community but some of them were cloaked in heavy secrecy. The eastern side struggled finding a place hold, some wanted to move forward, others begged to keep their traditions before they were conquered alive and well in young minds. While the Eastern side struggled to find a foothold between past and present, the Western progress forward at a steady pace.

Hecate had done a year as a transfer student in one of the best French magical schools to learn their difference in teaching styles. While she enjoyed the potions lessons, she felt the French favored shortcuts and it appeared the school focused more on weaving spellworks mixed with chants to display their magic. It hadn’t been entirely up to what she preferred and she had been glad when her mother picked her up, transferring her back to Spain a handful of months early.

But here in England, Hecate noticed a firm hand stuck in the past. Schools were held to ancient traditions dating back to a time of the pagans and slightly improved since then. Not much unfortunately. And her mother, even though she was British, held a high distain for England. In recent years she refused to visit her home country and whenever Hecate asked, her mother busied herself with something. Her ma simply shook her head and said it was a delicate subject best left alone. Still it didn’t quash her curiosity and she had a feeling it had to do with her past in the orphanage. 

“Hecate?”

She looked away from the window, “I’m sorry, I was lost in thought.”

“Pippa must have turned into quite the model.” Indigo joked then laughed at the blush spreading across her friend’s cheeks. 

“I’m going to hex you into the next century if you keep this up.” Hecate glared but the effect was useless against her best friend and she was thankful when their tea arrived as it gave her something to do with her hands. It wasn’t quite untrue what Indigo said. Pippa Pentangle, a dear friend, had become quite stunning when she turned sixteen and it seemed her beauty grew with each passing year. But Hecate passed off the feeling as a simple crush, fleeting, unimportant as she focused on her studies and her main love of potions. 

“Tell me about your ma’s recent discovery,” said Indigo, noticing her friend drifting back into her thoughts. That wasn’t good. It meant she was troubled by something and if she wasn’t going to talk about it yet then Indigo would just have to pick another subject to explore.

Hecate took a deep breath and nodded. Her ma had returned two weeks before she left for England, disheveled and a bit scratched up, much to the dismay of her mother. “She came home from Greece.”

“I thought she went to Singapore.”

“She did for a bit. But that turned out to be a bust so she flew to Japan and bumped into Christine.”

“Oooooh,” Indigo hid her smile behind her cup, “Sorry.” Christine Pentangle was the carefree, adventurous mother of Pippa and always had the best stories to tell. Christine and Hecate’s ma had been friends since college, both of them qualified archeologists, and the adventures they had together were out of this world. Ranging from running from this supposed secret society already centuries old to the crumbling ruins which collapsed at the precise moment they removed one of the prized treasures or stepped on the wrong piece of flooring. Indigo remembered hearing them when she was young and was absolutely fascinated. Even now she could help but be awed at the stories. Always sounded like something out of an adventure novel.

And then Hecate did something Indigo always loved. Instead of telling the story she used her magic to summon forth two figures looking vaguely like the archeologists and a display of the city they were in then the meeting held at one of the witching communities libraries which in turn brought both of them to Greece. Indigo watched with rapt attention, following every movement the little magical figures made.

Hecate, on the other hand, got to enjoy the comforts of her tea and the sandwiches that arrived minutes later. She glanced at the story playing out on the table. Her lips quirking up in a smile when the two discovered an underground temple and began a brief argument over the correct time period. That was the one thing about these two, best of friends, but their arguments were rather childish. It had her mother rolling her eyes when they occurred in their backyard during the summer. 

Every day felt like a blessing. From the day that her mother showed up at Cackles to take her home to today, it almost felt surreal and yet she wouldn’t trade it for the world. It was beyond words having a place that was home and the sense of belonging that accompanied it. Sometimes she wondered how she had gotten so lucky and while she didn’t want to rule it as such, it felt like fate intervened at just the right time. 

There were days where she wondered what happened to that pink clad witch who stopped her from using the wishing star. Her face was but a vague memory now. Still, there were times when she wondered exactly who that stranger was and who her friend happened to be. But as her mother was fond of saying, ‘Some things were best left as mysteries.’

She watched Indigo’s hand go out searching for a sandwich, her eyes glued on the story, and Hecate shook her head as she slid the plate closer. She chuckled lightly as her best friend grabbed a sandwich, lower herself so that her chin was almost on the table for a closer look at the magic bringing the action to life, and began eating. 

“You never bore of these, do you?”

“Shush! You’re ruining the story,” said Indigo between bites, “And no, never. This is amazing!”

Hecate glanced around the café, noting how quiet it was for a Thursday but perhaps that was sometimes was. There were cafes in Spain that were constantly full. She had a difficult time frequenting one of her absolutely favorites later in the week and the summers made it all the worse due to the tourist season. Here in England it seemed like any ordinary day all year around. She wondered about the other ‘underground’ hotspots for the magical communities. They were located somewhere in the middle of the city, leading to separate areas or far out in the rural areas where most people only passed through when they were driving somewhere. It was such a vast difference and in part it was a reason why she couldn’t fathom moving here. 

Once the story concluded and their sandwiches were eaten and most of the tea was drank, the two friends decided it was time to get some rest and headed back to Indigo’s apartment above a bookshop in the center of London. 

****

It was a quiet evening in. Indigo attempted cooking dinner but was distracted by whoever she was on the phone with and Hecate ended up putting out the flames with magic. To make up for it, Indigo ordered take out food which wasn’t quite as appealing as it sounded. It tasted even worse in Hecate’s opinion. She was used to home cooked meals given who her mother was and how she had such a unique hand for taking the most basic ingredients and turning it into something mouth watering delicious. 

When she asked who was distracting her on the phone to the point of possibly burning down the apartment, Indigo shrugged, saying simply it was a friend. Hecate didn’t quite believe her regardless she didn’t push the matter. Instead she took an early night. Tomorrow was going to be a long day to get ready for the festival taking place in three days. There were dresses that needed to tried on for a final fitting, masks to find that matched their outfits. Hecate was finding it rather difficult to find a suitable mask. She almost felt like they were unnecessary but given the tradition of the festival she could understand why masks were designed for it. 

The next several days were spent buzzing around London, going ‘underground’ so to speak into the British magical community. Hecate knew shopping would take a bit longer because Indigo never failed to fall in love with the witching world all over again no matter how often she visited the community. They had a simple lunch in the ‘underground’ and during the nights, Hecate opted to cook dinner. She wasn’t as great as her mother but given her skills at potion making, cooking wasn’t all that different. 

She picked out a sweet mulberry wine that paired well with the fish dish she made that night along with a side of rice. The ingredients weren’t the same as the fresh ones she got in Spain but they were good enough that the meal was delicious. 

“I should marry you just for your cooking skills,” said Indigo, helping herself to a second helping.

“Not even in your wildest dreams.” Hecate leaned back, glass of wine in hand, enjoying the sweet flavors.

“You’re right,” said Indigo, “I’d have to compete with Pippa and that’s a no brainer who’d win.”

Hecate shook her head and took another slip. “We’re not talking about that.”

“Is she going to be at the festival?”

“I didn’t inquire.”

Indigo shook her head, “You’re useless.” 

“And you won’t fit into your dress if you have another helping.”

****

The night of the festival arrived. Last minute errands were run during the day, their dresses were picked up, and soon they found themselves getting ready. In a flourish transfer, the two best friends disappeared from the London flat and came to the heavy wooded forest where the location specified. Hecate showed the tickets to a masked chauffeur who examined them with a golden torch before snapping his fingers. A carriage appeared behind him drawn by a beautiful set of moss colored horses. 

“Blessed Litha, ladies,” said the chauffeur as he opened the carriage door for them, “Midsummer awaits.”

The ride through the forest was shorter than Hecate expected. The moss colored horses glided over the forest ground with such ease it felt as though the carriage was floating. Outside nothing could be seen. The trees were a blur. An occasional light or two popped up in the distance, revealing another carriage traveling to the festival but the silence spoke for itself. And when the carriage came to a halt, Indigo, unable to keep her excitement contained, opened the door before the chauffeur had a chance to step down from the driver’s seat. 

Hecate waved his aid aside as she glided from the carriage with an elegance Indigo hadn’t seen before but the dark skinned woman merely smiled before turning to attention to the massive, almost endless clearing greeting them. 

Colorful spheres floated high above them with fairy lights strung around, creating a high border and offering more light. The sky felt blocked out but the best would come in a couple of hours. Instead the focus was upon the various witches and wizards present along with some ordinary guests. The festival, while not draped in anonymity, required no one to indulge their identities which made it ideal for blurring the lines between ordinary and magical folk. Indigo laughed as she spun around. Her dark deep ocean blue dress billowing, the black flowers stitched into the fabric glistened beneath the twinkling lights. Half her face was hidden by a delicately curved black mask bedazzled with the lightest of obsidian flakes. Her arms were bare and the cut of the dress exposed her generous cleavage and sharp collarbones. In the back it end at her mid-back with a soft trim of flowers. And Indigo couldn’t help feeling a little bit magical herself. 

The actual witch between them stood in a beautiful silver silken gown. It hugged her upper body, followed the curve of her breasts before ascending into dark rich gold that wrapped around her neck in a soft collar. Her dress flowed freely after the waist yet refused to become outrageously large as Hecate perfect more of the fine tuned. On her left side by her ribs began the detailed golden pattern of flowers curving down to her right hip before petals glimmered here and there along her skirts. She too kept her arms bare. After all it was a warm night and with the bonfire expected in several hours, long sleeves felt out of place. 

Her mask was the perfect mirroring of the cosmic sky beyond the planet. The rich dark canvas was adorned with the swirls and stunning array of stars. If one looked close enough or long enough, they would witness the actual movements being displayed upon the mask. 

Hecate’s dark locks were curled up into an elegant but loose bun. A single curl framed the right side of her face. It exposed more of the delicate pattern upon the golden collar encircled her neck. With her straight back, all of which was exposed from the top of her shoulders down to just above the hip bones, she gave the aura of seduction and Indigo did not doubt her best friend would be free of possible suitors tonight. A small part wondered if Hecate knew how gorgeous she looked tonight but the witch was always modest. 

In the center of the clearing a band played the enticing music associated with Midsummer and the Litha festival. Drinks were being served at a gleaming ice fountain to their right and it was flanked either side with various foods. People were pouring in from all directions, some gasping at the light display, others already making a beeline for the drinks, while several others already caught up with friends and were locked in deep conversation. 

“I can’t believe your parents met at this festival,” said Indigo as the two of them walked more into the clearing. The music fluttered through the air, dancing would soon begin, and for once Indigo couldn’t wait to watch this night unfold. 

Hecate smiled, recalling the story she was told in the past about the fateful meeting between her parents and how love blossomed between them. It was a rather romantic story even if she wouldn’t admit such things out loud. On some days it sounded like a fairytale or perhaps that was how her ma always told it and her mother would roll her eyes with a smile. It was clear how in love they were back then and over the years how such love only strengthened. “Yes, they do say Midsummer is a lover’s paradise.”

“Be careful who seduces you tonight, eh,” joked Indigo, nudging her best friend with her elbow only to receive a light hex in return. “Ow!”

“Rest assured I won’t be leaving with anyone tonight.”

Minutes later Hecate ran into a handful of school friends who positively gushed over her outfit while the witch shrugged the compliments off and took notice that Indigo spent the odd minute here and there looking around the area. She was about to ask if she was looking for someone specific when she was pulled into a debate between monkshood and angel’s trumpets when used in a toxic repellent as stated in the war against the giants. It was an absurd topic considering the thickness of a giant’s skin and even then neither was potent enough regardless of what potion it was placed into. No, it was more than likely the true ingredients were hidden from historical texts because it was too dangerous to meddle with or, as Hecate believe, the toxic potion was lost during the centuries that passed. Still, the properties between monkshood and angel’s trumpet held similarities but any idiot could mistake the two once they were milked and in liquid form. 

That debate eventually turned into another about the useful bee magic used for pollenating food and the newest arrival of a new method using the nightsingers. Nightsingers were powerful agents released during the night that fortified seeds and cultivated water while also creating a storage system in invisible underground vines. The two couldn’t be more different. Bee magic held its highest potency during the summer time and during the warmest days of the year. Problem was if the temperature reached too high, bees were forced to abandon their tasks until it cooled down and bee magic was much the same. The hottest days saw the fluctuation of bee magic, weakening it and rendering it practically nullified until cooler temperatures. Bee magic was weather dependent but the nightsingers worked regardless of temperatures reached at night. 

While it seemed the nightsingers were an obvious choice, Hecate still had issues with it. The nightsingers weren’t proven vital enough and were known to cause overflooding in countless fields rendering seeds and germination pointless. It cost the seeds instead of aiding them. Granted the nightsingers were still in their infancy but it proved more studies and refinement had to be done to make the nightsingers effective enough in terms of pollenating and create substance worthy grown food. Because the food it’s grown so far came from both bee magic and nightsingers. The other downside with nightsingers happened to be the temperature. If the nights grew too cold or held the slightest bite to its wind, the nightsingers would simply shut themselves down. For now it was best to keep to bee magic and to nature’s natural rhythm and flow. The nightsingers required more testing.

It was when the discussion shifted to the sudden fascination of love potions that Hecate excused herself. It appeared love potions were still seen as worthwhile in many people’s eyes even though they did not create love, they simply formed an infatuation within the targeted person and that led to all sorts of problems down the line especially after the love potion wore off. But Hecate didn’t wish to hinder the evening and it was better to excuse herself now so that she could find a drink. 

Now at the drinking fountain, carved as a large naked mother nature who poured the wine from her ice casket held in one hand, Hecate took in the changing lights drifting through the clearing. When they first arrived they were a bright, sunny yellow, now having dimmed down it added an atmosphere that would soon draw in a soft haze. The dancing hadn’t begun yet but given the lights and the drinking it should be here within the next half hour. 

Dark eyes roamed over the clearing, taking in the various gowns and masks, the way the band played, the light sphere floating to the melody of the music. Indigo had disappeared during the first debate. Her friend loved magic but she couldn’t be bothered with hearing about the intriguing and in depth details about the principles and properties behind most things. Sometimes it felt like Indigo forgot there was more to magic than making pretty shiny things but Hecate couldn’t blame her. Everyone held a preference in something. Like she wouldn’t admit but she did prefer ordinary music compare to the dirge that was mostly drifting through the magical communities. Even tonight the music felt stale and dead. 

“Lively party,” said a young woman next to her. She had a vivacious mop of corkscrewed curls framing her face and she wore a daring low cut black dress which accentuated her curves in all the right places. She offered Hecate a drink with a cat like smile.

“Thank you,” said Hecate as she took the glass, “And this could do with better music.”

The woman laughed, “Oh, I couldn’t agree more.” She took a sip from her glass, the same cat like smile remained on her lips, “Now, sweetie, if I get the band to liven up, promise me we’ll dance.”

“How could I say no?” countered Hecate.

The woman winked at Hecate and strutted towards the band. She offered the occasional look over her shoulder as she leaned closer, whispering to the band members. 

Indigo appeared at Hecate’s side, “Who’s that?”

“Names aren’t of importance tonight,” said Hecate, “Besides aren’t you the one who’s always telling me to have more fun?”

“Yes, but-”

“It’s just a dance, Indigo.”

“Yes, but-”

“Indigo, it’s midsummer’s festival and I can’t believe I’m saying this but lighten up.”

The stranger appeared by them again causing Indigo to shut her mouth. This wasn’t exactly what she had planned for the night. Suddenly the music changed becoming more upbeat, more modern and the stranger’s cat like smile turned into a grin. She took the glass from Hecate’s hand and gave both glasses to Indigo. “Hold onto those for us. Sweetie, shall we?” She offered her hand to Hecate and the two disappeared into the throngs of dancing people.

Indigo watched them go, glasses in her hands, and frowned. She felt the sudden familiar presence by her side and didn’t bother looking instead she still searched the crowd for where her best friend disappeared in to. “It looks like you have some competition tonight, Pippa.”

“I can’t say I blame anyone for trying,” said Pippa, “But I don’t plan on losing. Not tonight of all nights.” Her gaze had already found the breathtaking dark haired witch and she felt a jolt in her heart yet she decided to stay her hand. The night, after all, was still young.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will admit that the interactions between Hecate and Indigo are a blast to write because I feel like they could have been amazing friends and I don't believe Hecate solely has a single friend should the wishing star event not have happened and she had caring parents. But the show is taking it one way and I, however, have chosen a better direction, imho. But call me biased. Joys of fanfiction, haha  
> I appreciate you guys greatly, you wonderful readers, whether you leave kudos, comments, or not. You're still amazing and wonderful


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So fair warning, romance is not my strong suit and seduction isn't either. If this is blah, I deeply apologize. I tried!  
> But...but… Pippa is here! Finally! Yay!

Pippa Pentangle stood by the window overlooking the courtyard of her family’s mansion and gently blew at the hot tea held between her hands. She let out a soft sigh. Clouds were looming in the distance and she wondered if the weather was going to hinder the festival in a couple of days. She had just gotten off the phone with her mother who called to mention she was going to make a detour to the Hardbroom family. There was a recent discovery she wanted Diana to know about. Casually Pippa inquired about Hecate but she had a feeling her mother saw right through the innocent question given the full laugh she heard through the receiver. It was then her mother informed her Hecate was landing in London soon. Her parents had gently nudged her in the direction of the festival but Hecate, much to Pippa’s surprise, already had plans on going to the Midsummer Festival.

Now, with the information swirling through her mind, Pippa leaned against the large bay window frame and looked at the roses. The plot dedicated to the romantic flower was larger than most, revealing a beautiful array of colors from rich crimsons to light pinks to soft blues and multilayered ones like yellow with strips of a soft orange red in the middle. It was in the moment when the wind caressed the roses that Pippa realized her dress wouldn’t do. It was a simple choice for the festival that she had fallen in love with but knowing now that Hecate was going to be there and she was yearning for the dark witch’s attention, the dress simply wouldn’t do. 

Just as her thoughts began wondering what could capture the woman’s attention, the phone rang again. Setting her cup aside, if it was her mother, she could ask for suggestions but knowing her mother the suggestions would just be ways of invading the other’s personal space. While Pippa wanted very much to venture past Hecate’s personal space, she also wanted to capture her attention, her complete and utter undivided attention. Pippa wanted to stand out against all the other witches and wizards and ensnare the brilliant witch’s senses.

Oh, she sighed, maybe she was overthinking this whole thing. Then Pippa paused with her hand over the ringing phone and shook her head. No, she wasn’t overthinking this. Hecate deserved someone who was willing to go the extra mile. She knew the witch was rather sensitive and guarded with her heart and Pippa would ensure she’d be the very one who protected such a precious gem, knowing that Hecate’s love was more precious than anything the world had to offer. Oh, she had it bad.

Calming her thoughts, she picked up the ringing phone. “Hello?”

“Pippa! Indigo here and you’ll never guess what good news I come bearing!”

“Oh, I could wager a wild guess,” Pippa smiled.

Indigo sighed, “Your mom told you.”

“How could she not?” Pippa stifled the laugh at remembering how eager her mother was with revealing the news. “I don’t think my dress works for the festival.”

“What? It’s a beautiful gown.”

“Perhaps,” Pippa chewed on her lower lip, thinking, “But it’s not right. Not now that I know Hecate is going to be there.”

“Well you have time to change it, yeah? I mean Hecate doesn’t have a finished dress yet. We’re going tomorrow to the fitting. Plus she still has her mask to pick out but knowing her she’ll probably make her own.”

“Any ideas as to what it’ll be?” Pippa needed some ideas and if she innocently showed up matching the other witch in a stroke of brilliance, well… she tried not to get ahead of herself.

“Not really,” said Indigo, “If I had to wager a guess, I’d say something to do with stars. You know how much she’s interested in the constellations.”

Pippa hummed her agreement. She had never met a witch who held such a broad range of interests without becoming bored. Hecate was too different from the other witches and wizards and her passion shined throughout her interests. The dark haired witch had the uncanny ability of making even the mundane sound fascinating. There was dinner, a year or two ago, where her mother and Hecate got into a debate about the Greek mythos. A subject that had once fascinated Pippa but with her mother’s constant archelogy talks, meetings, and dinners held at their house it quickly became a dull subject. But Hecate’s stance breathed fresh life into the subject, made Pippa see it from a different angle and learn new facets that the boring old archelogy department of her mother’s work hadn’t yet uncovered. That evening she had also witnessed the beaming pride of Hecate’s ma, Diana Hardbroom. 

It was then an idea dawned in Pippa’s mind. “Indigo, would you by any chance know what color Hecate’s dress will be?”

“Silver,” said Indigo, “I don’t know what other color she’ll add to it but I do know it’s mostly silver.”

“Perfect,” Pippa smiled. Yes, her idea would do just fine.

The two talked some more on the phone until she heard Hecate’s voice in the background and something about the kitchen being on fire. Pippa felt her heart skip a beat at the rich deep voice. If she played her cards right, Midsummer would see a change in their friendship, one she had the kindling feeling Hecate wanted too. After all if others saw it and egged them carefully toward the same direction, surely it was true and even though Pippa tried not to get her hopes up too high or too excited, she felt the connection between them. The charged air that had been growing since their teen years and while the opportune moment never came to make a move, this festival was the ideal time to risk it all.

After saying goodbye to Indigo, Pippa looked back at the roses then to the sky. It looked like rain tonight which wasn’t that bad. A fresh rain to usher in the warmth of Midsummer usually spoke of good news and wishes coming true if the fairytales surrounding Midsummer could be believed. And Pippa decided she would take a chance on believing in the fairytales. She transferred outside to the roses, carefully examining the various colors until she spotted the perfect one. Taking great care to cut it free, its thorns were separated at perfect intervals where she could hold the stem without worry of pricking her fingers. Yes, this one had exactly what she was looking for. 

Pippa smiled, praying the fates were on her side.

****

The festival wasn’t yet in full spring when Pippa arrived. She arrived with her younger cousin who felt oh so very eager to meet and greet everyone in hopes her ‘true love’ was here. Pippa shook her head when her cousin told her. Midsummer was a lover’s paradise but true love wasn’t exactly what was uncovered at the festival and if her cousin had paid better attention to the stories surrounding the festival then she would know that the true love discovered at Midsummer was only if the two people already met outside and were destined to be together. It was fanciful but in her heart of hearts she did say a little pray to Litha to give her success in ensnaring Hecate. All things pointed to mutual feelings but Pippa worried she was reading into it too much or that she was simply caught up in wishful thinking. 

Her rose gold dress hugged her torso. A thick strip woven around her neck and crisscrossed over her breasts, accentuating the perfect curves and holding up the dress while keeping her creamy neck exposed. The fabric covering her midsection was tight, glittering with small silver stars while at the waist it fell into free flowing fabric. On her left side was a thigh high slit, exposing her long toned legs and with each step she took the flowing skirts glided out making it seem as though the blonde witch was floating. 

Silver stars rained down from her waistline before scattering along the rest of the skirts. The fairy lights and glowing spheres reflected each diamond dazzling sparkle, capturing the eyes of any who saw her walk past. Her arms were bare and she felt the warmth offered by the beginning of midsummer. 

Pippa’s hair was loose, framing her face in long playful curls, and tumbling over one shoulder which allowed the exposure of her mask. It was a beautiful sun gold and upon closer inspection one could see the tiny streaks of red curling free from the sun or swirling within its body. 

On her right wrist was the very rose she plucked from the family garden. The rose was golden pink and led to the inspiration of her dress changes. Her mother fully approved of the changes, telling her to win over the stubborn Hardbroom, and she made the off hand comment about being gone for the night. Pippa had shook her head at the comment, muttering something about not going that far tonight, but her mother brushed it aside saying anything could happen during midsummer if it was meant to be. After that Pippa was glad when her cousin arrived, ending her mother’s recounting of meeting Pippa’s father at the festival and the wild evening they spent. She had heard the story once and quite frankly that was more than enough.

She witnessed the arrival of Indigo and Hecate. Not that she was actively scouting for Hecate’s arrival. Indigo looked gorgeous in her blue dress but any other thoughts fluttered away when Pippa saw Hecate step out of the carriage. Her breath escaped her lungs and she was momentarily stunned at the sight. The silver dress was, for lack of a better term, breath taking on Hecate’s figure. The daring exposure of skin made her mouth go dry and if there was a slight tremble in her hand when she lifted her glass to her lips, she was glad no one was around to notice, let alone make a comment. 

Part of her wondered if her plan would actually backfire because it seemed Hecate was the one capturing her attention whether intentional or not and they hadn’t even greeted one another yet. Silently she gave herself a mental kick while calming her racing heart. A small part was thankful when she was pulled into a conversation with a respected member of the school board because she had wanted an unofficial meeting with said person in regards to the schooling system in England and she was going to take the opportunity since the discussion was already on schools. 

Forty minutes or so, forty minutes of her glancing around, her eyes always finding the familiar silver dress and that beautiful expanse of exposed skin, Pippa crossed paths with Indigo. A quick hug was shared between the two before Indigo dragged them away from the curious ears and eyes of Pippa’s cousin.

“Loving the dress,” commented Indigo, “Roses.” She smiled a knowing smile, “Not by any way influenced by the rose garden we all went to for Hecate’s sixteenth birthday in Germany.”

“Perhaps a little.”

Indigo shook her head. She didn’t know which one of the two was worse. Hecate’s obvious feelings for the blonde which she refused to classify as anything other than a ‘crush’ even though they both knew Hecate never, ever got crushes. Or the fact that Pippa obviously knew Hecate’s tastes down to a tee and did this delicate dance around her knowledge but Indigo could practically see the heart eyes during some of their interactions. Oh, what a long way they have both come and yet these two were still utterly useless when it came to their feelings. 

“The sun and moon have a tendency to just miss one another,” Indigo casually mentioned, “Is that going to happen tonight? I mean I could ask around if someone has a rope and tied you two together.”

“We’re not that bad.”

Indigo laughed, “No, of course not. Just two pinning idiots.”

“It could just be a phase on her part.”

Indigo didn’t miss the quietness of the statement nor the doubt lingering in the blonde’s voice and for that she wanted to give Hecate a good kick up the behind to get her ass into gear but it was a delicate topic. Hecate always swore off relationships to focus on her magic and the learning among the magical communities. It was admirable but it didn’t surprise Indigo when the feelings crashed into Hecate and crashed hard. Bringing the topic up alone felt like pulling teeth and on the rare occasions when Hecate did mention things, Indigo gobbled it up, filing the facts away, knowing her best friend didn’t realize the extent of her emotions or the fact that her heart was practically on her sleeve when it came to Pippa.

Words, however, weren’t all that Indigo had noticed. Over the years since they’ve all been friends, she bore witness to the special connection shared between Pippa and Hecate. In the beginning she was jealous. Yes, difficult to admit but true. She feared she was going to lose her best friend to another but then she realized the connection was so very different. At first she couldn’t put her finger on it until she took a good look around and saw the striking similarities between the love shared by Hecate’s parents and the connection Hecate had with Pippa. Then it made so much sense. Hecate and Pippa bonded, not just because they were witches, but because they had so much in common. A thirst for knowledge and change, a desire to make a lasting impact on the world stage of the magical community, seeing the benefits that could be brought to the surface, and Indigo had a feeling the two of them together could tackle the fundamental flaws existing. They would take the world by storm. Problem was she could tell both were scared of crossing the line.

And it wasn’t like Hecate shared that connection with anyone else. Indigo witnessed the debates she had with others, the discussions, the interactions. They were professional, cut off, never lingering, never offering the slightest bit of going further even though Hecate had plenty of admirers but those admirers were hardly a blink on the dark haired witch’s radar. Which cemented the certainty Indigo had about her theory, Hecate, for all purposes, was smitten and downright in love with Pippa and couldn’t see herself with anyone else other than the blonde witch. 

Problem was, of which there were quite a few, if Hecate realized the true extent of her feelings she was in the nature of pulling back. Being in love was a terrifying experience given that it wasn’t high on Hecate’s list of priorities but Indigo had told her before that life was unexpected in quite a number of ways. One of Hecate’s flaws was the planning and sense of control she held in the created structures of said plans. Throwing a wrench into it brought about an almost flight response for Hecate and it was up to Indigo to keep her somewhat grounded. At least until this friendship could face its true course of turning into a romantic relationship between the two witches. 

“It’s anything but,” said Indigo gently. “The problem is she’s scared. This isn’t a familiar feeling to her and that throws a wrench into her plans. You know how much Hecate loves her plans.”

Pippa nodded, “She’s not quite as spontaneous as I would have imagined.”

“She has her quiet moments,” agreed Indigo, “But I feel it’s more on the lines where she doesn’t want to get this wrong.”

“I hope you’re not trying to give me false hope.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m one of your supporters. You two would do amazing things together. I’m not going to stand in the way of, excuse me for being cheesy, true love. Now, let’s kick this doubt aside and figure out how we’re going to get the two of you together tonight.” Indigo smiled, “After all it’s a magical night for romance. That’s what I’ve been picking up but I get the feeling the wine is going to really loosen up most people so let’s not get drunk.”

“Did her mothers put you up to this?”

“No, but they gave a gentle nudge. We can all see the potential between you two. Why not help it along?” Then Indigo shrugged, “Besides I don’t exactly want to be scolded by Mama Bear Hardbroom.”

Pippa laughed freely at the statement. There was little doubt who the head of the Hardbroom household was and the way Mary managed to keep everything so very organized. Even her wife took extra steps not to cross the line but the occasional mishap did happen. “When did you become the grown up out of us three?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Indigo waved the comment aside but she did know considering she wasn’t one of the pinning idiots and that she didn’t need magic to see what was obviously staring them in the face. She was about to say something else when she caught sight of a stranger talking to Hecate. This wasn’t part of the plan. She watched the way the strange woman smiled like a cat who was going about ensuring she’d get the cream and oh no, not on Indigo’s watch. “Excuse me for a minute.” 

Pippa tracked the movements of Indigo and saw an unfamiliar woman strutting away from Hecate. She couldn’t stop the pang of jealousy even though she knew Hecate wasn’t hers… yet. Taking a calming breath, she slowly made her way through the crowd. Not hearing what Hecate was saying to the other but it was obvious when she took the stranger’s hand and disappeared into the dancing crowd. 

“It looks like you have some competition tonight, Pippa.” Indigo said when she felt the blonde stopping by her side. 

“I can’t say I blame anyone for trying,” said Pippa, the words tasted uncomfortable, “But I don’t plan on losing. Not tonight of all nights.” Her gaze had already found the breathtaking dark haired witch and she felt a jolt in her heart yet she decided to stay her hand. The night, after all, was still young. She knew she had no right to be jealous, that it was a petty emotion, but her heart screamed at the way the two danced to the lively music. And she wasn’t quite in the mood to join in the revelry. Not currently and then suddenly impossibly dark eyes found hers. Time grinded to a halt as she felt her heart skip a beat. She wouldn’t put it past Hecate to recognize her instantly as she had when the silver dressed witch stepped out of the carriage.

Magic came alive in the air between them causing a few surrounding people to stare, searching for the sudden spark. Several people witnessed it, drew the conclusion, faint was the cheering over the loud music playing but people quickly became engrossed in their own matters. But this sudden magical connection brought a full start to the festival as the floating spheres dimmed, humming an attractive gold and the spheres transformed into floating flowers that bloomed from the center. Soon more magical connections were made, some forced people to draw closer but those strong enough resisted the temptation to give in right away, deciding to play the night out, to tease the little game of cat and mouse.

Pippa flicked her wrist gently, releasing a bit of her magic into the connection between her and Hecate created by Midsummer and the festival’s magic gobbled it up. The enticing allure weaved between the dancing crowd, not touching anyone until it circled around her intended target. The message was clear, the bait was thrown, but Pippa had the distinct feeling the dance around one another would last until the bonfire was lit. 

The blonde’s assumption was correct. An hour later, as the music winded down and floating lights dimmed, the crowds were pushed aside as the kindling for the bonfire came floating out. On either side were five witches and wizard, appropriately garbed in earth tones and billowing robes that looked like dangling branches and leaves. Their faces hidden by the thick hoods and as the clearing fell silent and the witches and wizards came to a halt, the fairy lights strung above dimmed to the barest glow. 

Soft chanting filled the clearing, beginning the opening festivities for the midsummer bonfire. Together the witches and wizards performed a dance, swirls of magic encircled them before spreading out, dancing with their partner’s magic. Then it all combined, reaching higher and higher before an explosion like a firework went off. Whatever clouds remained were banished, revealing the stunning star scattered midnight sky. The witches danced forward as the wizards manipulated the pieces of wood, drumming up a brief history display of the wood nymphs and the forest kings. Their dance melding into the beginning blossoming of spring and then into the full bloom of summer.

A thick cascade of green leaves and a mixture of various colored flowers swirled like an upside down whirlpool and as they returned to the earth, they left the standing pyramid of wood behind. The wizards soon joined the witches in their dance and in doing so the ten members burst into flames. The flames raced out, dancing around the wood pyramid before coming together and igniting it. 

The wizards and witches reappeared in a circle around the blazing fire, announcing the festival in full swung, and Midsummer was now at its grandest height.

The crowd cheered. Soon their cheering was joined by the lively music as the band reappeared upon a floating platform that overlooked the clearing. 

****

Throughout the mesmerizing opening, a certain pair of witches were unconsciously drifting closer and closer together. Watching the display of magic captured their sight while the music seeped into the earlier connection they had brought to life. Neither realized until the ever so soft brushing of their hands. The sudden jolt brought them out of their trance, turning on heeled shoes Hecate found herself face to face with Pippa. Her height giving her a small advantage.

Their masks still cloaked part of their faces but there was no denying who the other was. Even if the masks hid their identity fully, the invisible scent markers of their magic already revealed the truth. Impossibly dark eyes locked with the warmer chocolate ones and time seemed frozen as they simply stared at one another. It was Hecate who broke her gaze first. Her eyes following the chosen attire of the blonde witch. She did not falter in taking in the soft rose gold accentuating Pippa’s body nor the slit among the free flowing skirts and as her eyes roamed back up she caught sight of the rose jewelry. Her mouth felt dry, her tongue lost in its trapping at the top of her mouth. Oh, how she loved roses. Loved them even more when the flowers were accompanied by Pippa’s goddess like beauty. 

Hecate swept into a bow in greeting, her voice soft and ever so laced with a bit of a purr, “Pippa.”

Pippa drank in every movement made by the other witch. A smile graced her lightly painted lips upon hearing her name. She couldn’t help the shiver trailing down her spine. “Hecate,” she said, returning the greeting. “You look exquisite,” she breathed the last word and noticed the hitch in Hecate’s breath.

It was a shy smile that came to Hecate’s lips yet she did not stop the next words from slipping free, “And yet I could never compare to you.”

A blush, half hidden by her mask, adorned her cheeks. She stepped closer, holding out her hand, her breathing hitching when Hecate met her action for action and their palms smoothed together in a soft touch. “Dance with me,” breathed the blonde witch and she knew from the enraptured look in Hecate’s eyes, the other wouldn’t deny her.

Their dance began slow. The black on Hecate’s dress and the silver on Pippa’s reflected the growing bonfire and as the two drew closer, people began moving away, giving them more space. But the two didn’t notice as they carried each note coming down from the band. Their light movements made them appear to be floating, each twirl was an expanse of flowing skirts and halted breathes, and when they came together the fusion of the very rotating cosmos could be seen. Somehow the sun and stars entwined in a beautiful marriage that was mirrored in every graceful step, in the rising and falling of their arms, how their hands came together and almost separated by the barest touch of their fingertips. 

Small sparks of fire reached for the night sky while around the bonfire, the cosmic mist seeped out. Whether by magic or the simple reflection of their masks, everyone felt an ascension take place, a melding that could only come from the love of the proper pieces sliding into place. Their dancing changed according to the music, matching the beat. Some made the galaxy swirl faster, others slowed it down to reveal every breathtaking detail, but it was the sense ensnaring powerful emotion evoked by midsummer’s guidance that made it all the more unique.

Hours later or perhaps an hour, no one really knew, too taken away by the dancing pair and the very images of a world beyond them birthing an unimaginably powerful love and stealing their hearts and breaths, the couple excused themselves from the dance area. Thirst clenched at their parched throats but somehow the distance between them was non-existent. They were already too drunk on Midsummer and the ensnarling hold it had upon them or perhaps it was the sudden realization of their feelings that needed no spoken words. 

Pippa offered a glass to the dark haired witch, smiling as their fingers brushed together. Her body was still buzzing from where Hecate’s hands had been, lingering in some places longer than the dance required but who was she to object. She watched, almost hypnotized as Hecate took a drink, following the swallowing in her throat and Pippa felt her own thirst wasn’t just for a refreshment. Drinking from her own glass, she wasn’t quite sure what to say instead the two basked in a quiet glow. 

She spared a glance at the dancing area where other couples were filling the space previously belonging to her and Hecate and somehow it wasn’t the same. It felt average, subpar but her opinion might have been biased. Either way she gave the other witch her full attention, absently reaching out for her hand.

Magic sparked between them when Hecate took her hand, interlacing their fingers, and with a gentle tug pulling Pippa closer. The two walked away from the refreshments tables. It was nice getting fresh air away from the prying eyes and the forest surrounding the clearing filled the air with a nice frosted pine scent even with Midsummer upon them. 

A chill raced up her arm when she felt Hecate’s thumb brush along the back of her hand. Pippa smiled softly, blushing, and gathered up her courage. “I almost thought you wouldn’t be here.”

“At the festival?” Hecate looked to the sky briefly. Now that they were away from the bright bonfire the stars could be seen better and their endless fascination would always been something she’d enjoy but tonight she was drawn more to Pippa as she always was when Pippa was near. “I had thought about it but Midsummer has always been on my list.”

“You’re making lists now?” Pippa laughed softly, “That’s very organized of you.”

“Too organized some would say.”

“Well, you can’t plan everything.”

“No,” smiled Hecate, “I can’t and I’m beginning to think that’s a good thing.”

“Hecate,” Pippa stopped walking. The trees swaying gently around them. The clearing at Hecate’s back with the bonfire flaring. There was little doubt the festival would go on till the early dawn hours but Pippa had no intention of staying that late. She vanquished her glass and Hecate’s too before taking her other hand. “I…” But words seemed to fail her. She struggled finding the right sequence, the proper form for what she wanted to say. 

It was a daring move on Hecate’s part when she took a step closer to Pippa. She untangled one of their hands and ghosted her fingers along the blonde’s smooth jaw, barely brushing a few strands of hair aside. “I don’t want to regret tonight,” whispered Hecate.

“Me either.” Pippa reached up, capturing Hecate’s warm hand and pressing it against her cheek. Her eyes closed at the feeling of the other’s skin against hers. 

“Tell me if I’m wrong.” Her voice was oh so very soft and quiet. 

Pippa was thankful for the trees around them giving them the seclusion they wanted and when she felt Hecate’s warm breath dance closer to her lips, she shuddered, “You could never be wrong.”

The kiss that followed was gentle, a bit hesitant, and laced with an underlying electric current that caused her heart to skip a beat. When Hecate drew back, Pippa reached out, brushing her hands over the fabric covering Hecate’s neck and brushing her fingertips over her cheeks before drawing her in for another kiss. This one longer with the tentative brushing of tongues over lips before tongues ghosted along one another. Pippa felt her knees go weak but Hecate’s strong arms wrapped around her waist, keeping her steady as the kiss deepened. 

At some point, Pippa found herself backed up against a tree. Not sure when they had moved as her attention was captured by the feeling of Hecate’s lips against hers, the smoothness of her tongue gliding along hers, the strong hands at her hips, thumbs brushing across the fabric that felt too much yet not enough. Her own hands had found purchase in Hecate’s hair, undoing the bun, and combing through the luscious dark locks. Never had she imagined this to unfold tonight of all nights. Yes, she had her fantasies that involved her and the beautiful witch but this far surpassed such things.

She found herself struggling to breath when their kiss ended. Sighing when Hecate’s lips traced a delicate and intense trail along her jaw and down her neck. She moaned softly when those soft lips pressed against her pulse. The sudden need to escape from here, from the festival, from any eyes that might discover them washed over her. Pippa wanted to be alone with the other witch, the one she loved for so many years already. It didn’t matter how far they went tonight but it was a certainty she wanted to be alone with her.

“Hecate,” she whispered, gently tugging at the other’s hair to bring them face to face. Pippa shivered at the look in those oh so dark eyes and brushed her thumb across kiss swollen lips. Biting her bottom lip, Pippa smiled a moment later. “Let’s get away from here.” Her grip tightened ever so slight as she quickly added, “I’m not asking for anything. Tonight will only go as far as you want it to, but I want to be alone with you. I’m done sharing you with the festival.”

Hecate pressed a kiss to the blonde’s thumb before nuzzling her palm. When she opened her eyes, she smiled and felt the hitch in Pippa’s breath. “Where to?” It didn’t matter where the night led them, Hecate would take what came and see what the morning would bring but all that mattered right then was this moment, this evolving thing between them that she was too afraid to put a word on, and talk would burst the spell surrounding them. It wasn’t warranted to ruin their moment with idle talk, that Hecate decided could wait till morning.

“My home is closer.”

Hecate laughed, “It is.” She summoned her magic and before it enveloped them she captured Pippa’s lips in a deep kiss.

There was no talk when they arrived at the Pentangle mansion. Hecate’s magic was precise as always, bringing them directly into Pippa’s bedroom and the sudden absence of the tree at her back cause her to stumble ever so slightly. Hecate managed to keep her upright but Pippa laughed in the carefree moment. Her mask and dress illuminated the dark room as she reached out, combing her fingers through those dark locks. This was something she’d never tire off.

When she drew her hands back, Pippa reached up and took off her mask but when she reached for Hecate’s, the witch stopped her by gently grabbing her wrists. “Allow me,” was the soft murmur.

Pippa watched as Hecate’s fingers touched the cosmic mask and pulled it off with her magic. The fabric dissolved to dust that fluttered away. But it never disappeared instead swirling around the room before shooting to the ceiling. The silent explosion that followed filled the room with the vast light of the slow swirling cosmos. 

“You certainly know how to impress a girl,” said Pippa softly.

“Only you,” Hecate smiled that shy smile that spoke more of her feelings than she dared voice and Pippa pulled her closer, reclaiming her lips in a heated kiss. 

They made love that night under the rotating stars, cushioned by Pippa’s soft sheets, and both wished the night never to end. It wouldn’t be until the first streaks of dawn peeked through the cosmic design that sleep overcame them. Their sweat slick limbs intertwined, their hearts beating as one, both happier and more sated than they had ever been. The unpredictable future far beyond their reach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pippa got the girl, Pippa got the girl, hey! *insert little dance here*  
> Problem is this story still has things going on so I hope you're willing to stick around. Also I hope I did that whole thing justice. If not, I'm sorry, I tried.  
> See you all in the next update!  
> You're all amazing! Never forget that!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deeply apologize to everyone who was waiting for this to update. I got stuck on the progress so I wrote The Ghost and the Modern Witch instead and finished that. But now I think I know where this is going to go. Thank you for your patience and I hope this short but hopefully worthwhile chapter makes up for it  
> As always all mistakes are my own

Their morning didn’t arrive until late that afternoon when the sun shined fully into Pippa’s bedroom, basking them in its soft warmth, and casting an ethereal light about the room. Pippa was the first to wake, slowly, carefully stirring. The memories from the night before flooded her mind and she smiled. Her hand felt the smooth warm skin belonging to Hecate, absently she snuggled closer, not quite believing last night actually happened. 

Gently her fingertips traced the dark witch’s shoulder blade and trailed down the smooth curve of her spine, Pippa’s smile grew when Hecate began waking. The dark haired witch lifted her head, arching her back ever so slightly into the soft stroking. Her eyes, however, remained closed. It took another minute for the sensation to register in Hecate’s mind and upon the first fluttering of her eyelids, Pippa drew closer and brushed a soft kiss across her forehead.

“Morning,” Pippa whispered, feeling if she spoke louder it would undo the spell from the night before. 

Hecate smiled faintly, “Morning. What time is it?” 

“Judging from the sun, it’s late afternoon.” 

Hecate hummed in response, closing her eyes again while Pippa continued gently stroking along her bare back. There was something idyllic about this moment. A talk was coming between them and what had come to pass yet the blonde witch didn’t want this moment to end. This peaceful hour where the world was quiet, where nothing matter outside of this room, where no one dared pry deeper, where no one could offer a knowing look. 

Her movements paused when she heard the ringing telephone. She had half a mind to silence it but thankfully a few seconds later, her mother answered the phone. The familiar chime of her mother’s rich laughter filtered through the downstairs and up the stairs. Their peace shattered but it didn’t mattered. Not in the slightest as Pippa smiled, seeing the dark haired witch fully awake and feeling her warm fingers brush along her cheek. 

“We should probably get up.” 

“Probably,” agreed Pippa yet neither of them moved. She brought her hand from Hecate’s shoulder to comb through the dark sleep tangled locks, smiling softly when the other closed her eyes at the sensation. “Or I could spoil you with breakfast in bed.” Pippa snapped her fingers causing an assortment of trays to magically appear in the room. Several were filled with various food, one housed fresh juice and tea, another their plates and utensils. 

Hecate slowly sat up, draping one arm across her chest, holding the blanket in place as she took one of the floating porcelain cups. The kettle floated off its tray and poured the tea. “And how long have you been practicing that?”

“As long as you have been with that mask trick you did last night.”

The dark haired witch smiled against the cup, saying nothing as she drank the unsweetened tea. A gentle mixture of fresh Moroccan mint infused with the lightest hint of alpine honey. It was a personal favorite and she wasn’t surprised Pippa remembered. She watched the blonde sit up beside her, pressing a kiss to Hecate’s shoulder before she reached for her own cup.

Breakfast was a quiet affair filled with idle conversation, soft laughter, the odd touch here and there. Some lingering, others faint, but each welcomed. Somehow their skin always stayed connected. After breakfast, Pippa offered the bathroom first to Hecate but amongst the attempted untangling of the bedsheets, they found themselves kissing again and ended up sharing the shower.

Hecate was the first able to pry herself away from their electric touches and kisses even after the shower turned cold. She gave the blonde a lingering kiss before drying off and summoning fresh clothes. Instead of giving in to the temptation of returning to the irresistible witch, Hecate decided to stretch her legs. 

She wasn’t unfamiliar to the Pentangle mansion. It housed some of the finest artifacts and paintings passed down through the generations and Mrs. Pentangle had exquisite taste. Most of it was too fine for Hecate’s taste, much more preferring the comforting yet graceful style her parents conjured up together but that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate other tastes. Walking the long hallway, she took in the fine oil paintings of centuries old witches and wizards who made up the Pentangle line. Some were dressed appropriate for their time period, others were a flurry mixture of past and present styles that she had no doubt raised the ire of the magical community within the country but as she walked further on, more to the present members, she noticed the more modern and ordinary influences.

It was obvious the Pentangle family breathed modern. Modern magic, modern world, modern advancements while meshing them with the past but not allowing the past to suffocate them. The Pentangles along with few other families wished to be more like mainland Europe but the laws and the governing council refused to embrace such matters. It begged the question as to why they chose to remain on British soil. 

“Hecate Hardbroom,” greeted Christine Pentangle as she walked towards the younger witch. Dressed in a well tailor knee length dress, sleeveless as was her preferred style on warmer days. A single golden bangle curled loosely around one wrist and various golden rings. She smiled warmly at Hecate, “I didn’t know you spent the night or I would have sent up some breakfast.”

“Mrs. Pentangle,” greeted Hecate before she smiled, hoping her blush wasn’t too obvious, “And Pippa already did. It was quite… sweet.”

Christine laughed, “That’s my girl.” She linked arms with the younger witch, “Come join me for a walk through the gardens. I’m sure Pippa will still be a while. You’ll absolutely adore the roses.”

The two walked down the curved staircase. Christine pointing out some of the newer collections she made in the past few months. She gushed over seeing the famous Hardbroom child again, to which Hecate pointed out they had seen each other a few weeks ago. Christine shrugged the little detail away with a gentle laugh before showing her an interesting corner piece. It was old metal, polished by some of the finest magic oils to reveal the small almost unseen carvings. But the interesting part were the small bits of ivory.

“I found it in-”

“The Aegean Sea. Off the coast of Mikonos,” said Hecate, “May I?”

Christine’s smile turned to one of pride. Oh how she should have known Diana would share the details of that adventure. “Of course,” she nodded, watching as Hecate gently picked up the piece and examined it. “I wagered your ma has the other piece.”

“Yes, it arrived the day before I came here. But its ivory is much more in tact than this. She said it belonged an ancient witching cult from Greece. She’s not sure which one.” Her thumb brushed over one of the carved details. Hecate knew from her ma’s passionate explanations that this find was unlike some of the others and could very well change the beginning markings of witchcraft’s history. But for that they needed more pieces and another trip was planned for later in the year. “Will you joining her when she returns to Mikonos?”

“I don’t have plans on letting her beat me to this discovery.” It was a rivalry that would never seen its end and it did its job to keeping the two on their toes. 

Hecate carefully returned the corner piece to its place and the two resumed their walk, weaving through the house until they came to the large glass balcony doors. Christine flicked her wrist, beckoning them open to the beautiful sunshine and the fresh air. “How was the festival?”

"Quite over the top," said Hecate causing the older witch to laugh, "But pleasant none the less."

Christine smiled, "Meet anyone of interest?"

Hecate hoped her blush didn't show too much as she remembered the night before, "No one new."

"Naturally," said Christine, "Come see the roses." It was almost as though the older witch knew about what happened but she said nothing. 

The gardens were pleasant and Hecate had always enjoyed venturing through the Pentangle grounds even as a child and the rose bushes were her favorites. It was amazing the vast variety of color. The conversation turned to various things about how her parents were, her future plans, the acceptance into one of the top universities of mainland Europe. 

Christine wasn't surprised at the talent and intelligence of the Hardbroom child, given how her parents were, but in a way she had hoped perhaps she could take an interest in a school overseas along with her daughter. Still, there was the silent hope the two would end up together regardless of their school. It was a rather delicate situation given how stubborn their children were.

Twenty minutes later, Pippa met them in the gardens in a beautiful flowing pink flora, print dress and high heels, her hair slightly curled and Christine hid her smile. She knew who her daughter was dressing up for. Regardless she said nothing and soon enough she excused herself, seeing as she had a future trip to arrange along with an esteemed meeting of the museum board. 

The two women ventured into the heart of London and the heart of the magical community of England where they explored the various shops. Pippa laughed at the off handed, dry comments given by Hecate whenever something spoke too much of the old traditions. There was a group of supporters belonging to the Great Wizard, who were handing out pamphlets of an upcoming meeting to talk about furthering the standings of traditions. One was thrust into Hecate's hands and she burned it once they were out of sight of the supporters, dismissing the matter as a foolish notion.

And that was what led to the conversation of Pippa's future dream of opening up a more modern school for witches and wizards. Hecate, while being supportive, said perhaps England wasn't ready for such a thing and suggested she try overseas first, get some firsthand experience. It was a tempting idea but Pippa was grounded to this country which made things difficult with the further progression she wished to bring to the magical world. 

The two had lunch at an outside café and the rest of the time Hecate had set for her trip was mostly spent with Pippa in a tentative beginning of their relationship. Nights were spent in each other's arms. Sometimes Hecate would read from a book while Pippa combed her fingers through the silken dark locks. 

It was on their last night together that Hecate's sleep became distorted. She drifted in and out, blurred images flashing through her mind of a life not her own and yet it was hers. She saw the familiar haunting figure of the Cackles Academy and the time she spent there. It was brief but altogether unpleasant, however in her dreams she saw her stay extended and a sudden confinement that left her unable to leave the castle grounds.

In this particular dream, she found herself racing through the corridors. Twelve years old once again, looking for her mother, but she was nowhere to found. Instead a sinister laughing echoed throughout the halls and she heard the Great Wizard mocking and accusing her, of the damaged she'd done, it was followed by the voice of Mrs Cackle who deemed her an unworthy child of magic. It felt too real especially when chains shot out of the ground when she finally found the door. 

The chains wrapped around her body, pulling her back. In the distance, by the heavy gates, held ajar, she saw her mother in her familiar navy coat and dark red hat. Her back was turned in her direction and when she yelled for her mother, there was the faintest acknowledgment before the woman disappeared. Fear clenched her heart, she felt a dreadful pain as the chainsnpulled her under.

Hecate woke with a start, gasping for air, the sheets pooling at her waist. It felt too real, the dirt lingered in her mouth and she held her hand to her forehead. Her head pounded. She jumped when she felt the warm hand on her bare back but quickly relaxed when she realized Pippa was right next to her.

"What's the matter?"

Hecate frowned. She tried shaking her head to say it was nothing but the dream was too real, too alive, too present instead she turned and buried her face in the crook of her love's neck. "A bad dream," she murmured.

Pippa wrapped her arms around the dark haired witch and lied back, pulling her closer. Kissing the top of her head, she gently combed her fingers through the locks. "It's alright," she whispered, "I'll chase them away."

It took a while but eventually Hecate fell back asleep, listening to the steady and calm heartbeat of Pippa but the blonde witch remained awake. Her fingers still gently combing through the dark hair while she stared at the ceiling. She had a night terror before the festival that felt too real and she too had awoken just like Hecate did but surely they weren't connected, were they? There was a sinking suspicion in her heart that they were and absently her grip tightened on the love of her life as she waited for sleep to take over. 

****

"Someone had a good time," grinned Diana, the dark haired witch was taller and dressed in comfortable loose slacks and a buttoned blouse. She had taken time off of work early to pick up her daughter from the airport and greeted her with a crushing hug. There were still times when she woke in the morning to consider herself the luckiest witch in the world for having a loving partner and a beautiful, brilliant daughter that was both of theirs. Of course, the pregnancy had been a surprise, catching both her and Mary off guard. Mary had run but Diana followed, stating they were in this together. Sure enough it was the governing forces that attempted to keep them apart but when they fled England, returning to Diana's native Spain, things were better.

The two were able to track down their daughter who was taken from them by the council, stating such a child should never have been born. Sure, it was a rarity. Unheard of even in some parts for same sex partners to be able to magically conceive but the magic flowing through them had a mind of its own. There were studies and research being done outside of England but even they hadn't come close to scratching the surface. Not that Diana really cared. She took her blessing and swore to protect her family no matter what. 

Besides they had an amazing wedding ceremony in Greece after they were reunited with their daughter and honestly life just kept getting better afterwards. In short, Diana thought her life wad nothing less than perfection.

"Mama, you're crushing me," said Hecate.

"Oh, sorry," said Diana smiling warmly at her daughter as she released her. She grabbed the bag and walked toward the exit. "How was the festival?"

Hecate blushed, "Magical."

Diana laughed, knowing exactly what her daughter meant. "I take it you and Pippa shared a special moment or two."

"Perhaps," but the young witch said nothing more yet she couldn't keep the happy smile from gracing her lips. The warm air greeted them when they left the airport and there was something pleasing about being back in her home country while her heart already missed Pippa they had agreed to take this tentative new relationship slowly especially with their upcoming college terms that would surely keep them more than occupied. But they agreed the first vacation would see Pippa coming to visit Hecate. Of course Hecate had endured the endless teasing of her best friend during the vacation when she found out the two spent the night together after leaving the festival early.

****

Two weeks before her university classes were about to begin, something strange happened to Hecate Hardbroom. First she spent most of last week throwing up in the early mornings. Her mother, Mary, had her suspicions and had set up a doctor's appointment for the following week and now that the appointment was approaching, a terrifying rumble shook the Hardbroom household.

Diana looked up from her papers, her glasses perched on the edge of her nose, aand frowned. "That never happened to you."

Mary, who stared at the ceiling listening closely, shook her head, "No, I fear there may be something more to this."

Together they went up the stairs, Diana in the front and what they found was unexpectedly stunning. A massive crack adorned the door to their daughter's room and when it was pushed opened, a swirling vortex had consumed everything.

Several hours later

The doctor entered the room, looking perplexed and worried as he read and reread the information on his chart. Looking up, he steeled himself but the puzzled expression never left his face. "I have good and bad news."

Mary looked to her daughter, rubbing her shoulder gently. It had been quite the event in discovering the vortex in her room but Diana had bravely dived in and retrieved their daughter with no relative harm although Mary did scold her for the action later. Hecate had spent most of the day spending after that and then they quickly went to the doctor, afraid she might not wake again. 

"What's the bad news?" Hecate asked, swallowing the lump in her throat. She felt the need to throw up again but pushed the urge down. Whatever had ensnared her earlier gave her a terrible fright. Her heart still echoed the marathon sprint against her chest.

"Well, we can confirm you were trapped in a time vortex. Now I don't know how or why it appeared or what it wanted with you and you said you don't remember what you saw inside it. So this could be a one off incident or it might mean something. For now we'll have to do further digging."

"Do you have to keep her overnight?" Mary looked with concern at her daughter, never once removing the comforting embrace she held her in for she felt Hecate trembling. 

"No, we have your magic reading and if we need anything we'll call," the doctor said with a smile. 

Hecate felt a headache coming on. Something in the vortex didn't agree with her and with classes coming up, she wanted nothing more than to get to the bottom of this and simply move on. She forced herself to focus, "And the good news?"

"Ah, yes," the doctor's smile widened, "You're pregnant. Congratulations but the vortex did not affect the pregnancy is any way or form."

At first the words didn't register in Hecate's mind but when they did her eyes widened in disbelief, "Pregnant?" she repeated, cautiously, disbelieving. 

"Yes," the doctor rechecked his notes, "We're dating it at a couple weeks so you would have conceived around the time of the festival."

An unexpected burst of magic ushered from Hecate, splintering the doctor's desk and blowing the folder out of his hands. "I am sorry," said the dark haired witch.

"Quite alright," nodded the doctor and with a wave he repaired the desk and the papers flew back into the folder, "Now I'm going to prescribe some..."

But the words didn't reach her ears as Hecate's mind swirled around the very fact that she was pregnant and sure enough the lightheadedness consumed her as she fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, so my original plan went out the window for this story but this new one should work. Drastic news for poor Hecate  
> I'll see you in the next one as I try not to think about a sequel to the story I just finished


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short update today but next chapter will be longer. Boy, i really hope not everyone has forgotten about this

She felt like she was trapped in a daze. Her entire world turned upside down. The singular word kept repeating itself in her mind over and over again. With trembling hands she touched her flat stomach, aware of the fact the life Pilla and her had created was growing inside. Pippa. Her thoughts turned to the beautiful blonde who she did love above anything else and she felt like crying because not only did she not know how the other witch would take it but the fact that Pippa had a mountain to conquer in her future and a child was obviously not on that list. 

Hecate fell back on her bed, staring at the ceiling and with a wave of her fingers she summoned the cosmic sky far beyond them. The stars always brought comfort to her. Her mind, however, felt blank. It was the soft knock on her door that drew her back to reality.

Both her parents entered. Mary carrying a tray of homemade cookies and warm tea. She gave her daughter a comforting smile as she set the tray ln the night stand and sat on the desk. "How are you feeling?"

"Blank, numb, in shock, disbelief is another good one," said Diana but she quickly closed her mouth when her wife glared at her. Then sighed, "It was what I felt when you told me."

"Were you scared?" came Hecate's quiet voice.

"Terrified," said Diana, "Not because your mother was pregnant but because I didn't think I'd make a good parent."

Hecate shrugged, "I turned out alright."

Diana grinned, "You turned out brilliantly. More than I ever imagined and honestly I know that fear was part of the journey. But it didn't stop being present."

"What if," started Hecate, sitting up and looking between her parents, "What if I don't want to tell Pippa?"

"Oh sweetie," said Mary, reaching out and taking her daughter's hand in her own, "Are you afraid of how she'll react?" She pulled Hecate into a tight embrace when she saw the scared nod, "You are by far not the first witch to be in such a predicament nor will you be the last. However, Pippa will come around the realization she is the father of your child. This stubborn one did." She nudged her head in the direction of her wife. "And she will love you and the child regardless of how the conception took place but I will say the choice is yours. Even if you decide not to tell her, we both support you."

"And we're not going to force you to tell her either. You were the greatest blessing we could have ever received and there's not a day that goes by where we don't cherish that. Our little star light," smiled Diana as she sat on the other side of her daughter. "Besides Pippa should consider herself the lucky one. Between your mother's brains and my good looks, you're one hell of a catch."

Mary rolled her eyes at her wife's words but the smile didn't leave her face as a light blush dusted her cheeks, "Honestly, Diana."

"Just telling it like it is," shrugged the woman as she put an arm around their daughter who chuckled at the banter between her parents.

There was a basking warmth between the family, comforting and measuring, but something still troubled Hecate and in turn it was the very thing that made her hesitant to tell the blonde witch back in England. "What about the time vortex?"

"Yes, about that," said Mary, "I think it best if we address that as it comes. Time magic is tickle at best and we don't know what the cause may be."

It was then Hecate confessed to the horrible nightmares plaguing her sleep since the festival. She hadn't been sleeping well and while the first thought after visiting the doctor stated it coming from the unexpected and certainly unplanned pregnancy, Hecate had a feeling it was actually the time vortex and the onslaught of memories brought with it. 

It left her parents baffled and confused. Diana vowed in the morning she would research the phenomenon and see if similar cases were recorded in the history records. And Mary made plans of visiting a dear friend who specialized in memories.

That had been the beginning of the confusing ailments and the heavy decision on Hecate's shoulders became decided during the beginning of her second trimester when an especially violent time vortex was opened and the family was forced to relocate. Diana had shrugged the matter off, commenting that she had always wanted to move houses but didn't because her mother in-law enjoyed it too much. Luckily Mary and Diana had already designed the blueprints of their future house and this one included a little nursery for their coming granddaughter. Hecate started taking her college classes from home and while she wrote letters to Pippa, her hands trembled whenever she attempted to include the news until one day the letters just stopped coming.

****

12 Years Later

The joyous laughter of a child raced through the house over looking the ocean. Small bare feet pattered against the cool marble floor as the girl with long black hair waved a letter in her hand excitedly. Her warm brown eyes lit up when she had checked the mail, dropping all other letters on the ground in the living room, and leaving with joy. Her flowing white dress, picked up on a trip to Greece, showed off her sun kissed skin. She ran down the hall and directly disobeyed one of the strictest, if not the only strict rule in the house, and pushed open the door to her mother's potion lab. 

She opened her mouth to speak when she was suddenly lifted off the ground by her mother's magic and encased in a bubble.

"What have I told you about entering this room?" came her mother's cool, collected, calm voice.

The girl rolled her eyes, "To always knock and enter carefully and slowly," she said, "But mom! Mom! Look at this!" She struggled against the bubble but her mother's magic was just too strong. Defeated she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest, pouting while she waited for her mom to finish up whatever latest potion she was working on.

When Hecate finally turned away from the bubbling cauldron and used her magic to move it to the constructed little building outside where it would stew under the full moon tonight for the next three days, she looked at her daughter. A small smile came to her lips at the pout she was making. "So what's this excitement about?"

"I got accepted!"

"Well," Hecate waved her hand, removing the bubble, and gently setting her daughter down on the ground. The girl leapt into her mother's arms and presented the envelope, which was slightly crumples. "Let's see." Impossibly dark eyes examined the writing, "This is addressed to one Josephine Angela Hardbroom. I don't think I know anyone by that name."

"Mom!" The little girl, Josephine, rolled her eyes but giggled and nudged her mom to open the letter.

Her magic carefully undid the wax seal, removed the letter, and as it unfolded, Hecate felt a sharp pain in her chest. "Accepted to Pentangles," she said breathlessly, memories of the past came flooding back.

"I know it's not the school you went to but out of all the presentations, it was my favorite and I think I could learn so much there. What do you say, mom? Can I go? Can I? Please?"

Hecate released a breath that felt like the very wind had been knocked from her body. She forced a smile on her lips, "Are you absolutely certain?" But she already knew the answer before her daughter nodded vigorously and beamed. "Very well, Pentangles it is."

****

Across the sea in the rain soaked country of England, Pippa sat at her desk in her office. Preparations for the new term were well underway and it was time she started reviewing the names of the new faces joining her school this year. She steadily went down the list, recognizing some names of children belonging to friends, others to the family of donors, some from the council, and then she went over a name she thought she'd never see. It caused her to do a double take and she reread the list over and over again. But sure enough there it was.

_Josephine Angela Hardbroom_

Her heart gave a painful twist at the last name and she tried to convince herself it wasn't who she thought it was. Np, surely not. The child wouldn't belong to who she thought. No. No. Even as she requested the file on the new student, she felt confident once she opened it, it would just be a typo, a simple mistake

Sure enough when she looked at the photo of Josephine Angela Hardbroom she could see the familiar jawline and high cheekbones, sharp nose, and those raven dark locks that certainly could only belong to one person. Her fears were confirmed when she looked under parents and saw as the mother the name that made her hands tremble and cause her to drop the folder: Hecate Hardbroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a way to find out  
> Again, sorry for the small update but it's getting there and I got a pretty solid idea of where it's going. Funny how I already know the ending but I'm missing some pieces in the middle  
> Thank you to my new readers and welcome back to my old ones if you're back for this story  
> I'll see you in the next one, which will be longer, promise


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Morgansoul, you need a hug so I’m sending lots your way. I do hope you’ll enjoy how this story turns out and try not to be too anxious because everything will, hopefully, be explained  
> I definitely know where this is heading so everyone, please, don’t fret too much but do hold on to your emotions because it’ll be an emotional ride. It is for me already.  
> All mistakes are my own  
> On to the chapter

Pippa was well into her second glass of wine that evening. There was one week left to go before school started and while she was looking forward to the new term, she was not looking forward to meeting one sole student. The daughter belonging to the love of her life. A disbelieving scoff left her mouth as she swirled the wine in her glass. She barely tasted the drink and sure enough it did little to make the situation better. The glass was emptied before she set the glass on the desk and stared at the open folder. The one belonging to the very student she dreaded meeting.

Pippa rubbed her eyes, running her hands over her tired face but she knew she couldn’t go to sleep. Thoughts of the past would keep her up, memories of that festival where she thought something was cemented would stir awake and the passionate week that followed. She didn’t want to remember. She didn’t want to see Hecate’s beautiful face, remember the taste of her kiss, of her lips, her skin, her magic. But it was too late. She was already thinking about the past, about the love of her life, about Hecate damn Hardbroom.

She recalled the letters they wrote during the early year of college. They were passion filled, loving, caring, speaking of a future they could have together, one she truly believed they would have together until suddenly they just stopped coming. She didn’t know what changed. Had Hecate met someone else? If so, who? 

That was the curious part and the part she didn’t understand. Hecate had a daughter. A twelve year old daughter. But who was the father? In the school records the space was left back. It was her curiosity that made her get up from her desk, swaying slightly on her feet before she steadied herself. She walked across the room to one of her chests that she kept tightly locked both with a lock and magical wards. Upon opening it, she pulled out the newspaper clippings, the articles, the various books, anything and everything about Hecate or written by her. 

Painstakingly and a bit drunk, Pippa combed through each one, looking for signs or words or something she overlooked to show that Hecate had either found a new partner or a husband or anything to indicate the child. But there was nothing. Nothing was even stated about her pregnancy which meant that Hecate had done one hell of a job of hiding it.

Slumping against the small couch, Pippa held her head in her hands. She felt like crying. This was a low blow. Her mind still wanted answers and dived into the past but there was still nothing. On the few times that she had seen Diana, Hecate’s other mother, the woman mentioned nothing of the pregnancy or the child instead opting to keep a business conversation very much alive with Pippa’s mother. The whole thing felt wrong. Did her own mother perhaps know something and was sworn to secrecy?

Pippa doubted it and yet it nagged at the back of her mind. She made her wobbly way over to the mirror, called her mother, and poured another glass of wine.

“Is this a celebration or-”

“Did you know?” Pippa cut her mother off, not bothering to apologize for the harsh tone she was using. There was too much anger and anguish surrounding her heart she couldn’t think about mincing her words.

“Pippa, darling, are you alright?” Christine looked at her daughter carefully before looking at the desk. The bottle of wine was nearly empty.

Pippa gave a hollow chuckle. “Did you know that Hecate has a child? A daughter?”

Christine didn’t say anything. Not at first but then, “You’re drunk, Pippa.”

“Did you or did you not know?” Pippa’s voice grew louder before she stopped, the tears coming to her eyes, “Just tell me, mom, I can’t… I just can’t.”

Christine sighed, “Yes, I knew but I was sworn not to tell and frankly it wasn’t my right to tell you.”

Pippa shook her head, “Not your right to tell your own daughter.” But her tone was defeated, the tears fell freely as realization that Hecate truly did have a child sank in. Her mother was saying something but it didn’t register in her foggy mind instead the blonde witch waved her hand and abruptly ended the call. she stared at the wine in her glass before throwing it against the wall, crumbling to the ground in tears at the anguish of her heart breaking all over again.

****

The days leading up to the start of the term where done on autopilot for Pippa. Her heart felt numb, her body was exhausted because her mind kept running circles around theories and possibilities in regards to the daughter of her sole love. Yes, she freely admitted she had only ever loved Hecate Hardbroom and probably only ever would. There had been dates throughout the years since the letters stopped but they never progressed to anything. The dinners or lunches or meetings were simply too dull and her thoughts constantly kept returning to the high cheekbones, strong jaw, dark eyed beauty she had committed to during the festival. It was almost as if her heart and body had closed itself off from other potential people, too connected to that raven haired witch to bother with others. In time it had suited her just fine because it gave her more focus and determination to build her school in the country where magic was still left somewhat behind.

Pippa breathed in the fresh air of the early morning and slowly walked back toward her castle. She had just finished her morning run, something that expelled the troubling thoughts, but today was the very day when her students: both new and old, would be coming for the new term. Her thoughts drifted back to the endless theories swirling in her mind. Had Hecate perhaps met another person? Perhaps their passion fueled week hadn’t meant much but she somehow doubted that. Hecate had never lied to her before and she’d never suspected the raven haired witch to lie about her feelings. Then was it possible…

Pippa stopped by the fountain, not quite daring to finish the thought for it made her heart race a million miles in her chest, jumping into her throat and hammering away. Her nerves were on fire as she considered the possibility silently but it rose other questions such as why Hecate wouldn’t tell her? Was she truly that afraid of a possible (thought utterly far reaching and absolutely absurd) rejection because there was no way Pippa could ever reject Hecate, not given the fact that the…

“Pippa!”

The voice of her deputy pulled her from her thoughts and she did her best to school her thoughts and remove the racing possibility from her mind. 

“Wanda,” Pippa smiled, “What’s the problem?”

Wanda stopped and gave her friend a disbelieving look, “Really? You do realize the students will be arriving in twenty minutes and you’re still in your jogging gear.”

“Oh, good heavens,” said Pippa. She tried to give Wanda a run down of what was still left to be done but the young woman waved her aside and sent her on her way. Pippa quickly transferred back to her quarters to get ready.

Wanda, however, shook her head. Her accented voice heavy from the eastern European part of the world where she came from when her husband appeared at her side, quiet but raising an eyebrow at her amused expression. “She’s distracted.”

“Yes,” agreed the tall lanky man, “She has seemed a bit off since she discovered the roster of new students joining us this year.”

“A familiar name?”

“I believe we are about to find out,” he raised his hand as the gates to the Pentangles grounds opened and the first batch of students came rushing in. 

It was an hour in when the first year students began arriving accompanied by their parents or guardians. And if Pippa kept glancing over toward the gates and smoothing down her dress, well, no one said anything about it. Her dear deputy Wanda did her best at diverting her attention to some of the already present students and parents. Conversations were kept brief and pleasant. 

A sudden gasp drew everyone’s attention to the center of the courtyard as dear, sweet Mary Poppins arrived. She hadn’t aged a day as she was dressed in her ruby pencil skirt, a beautiful floral printed blouse, her signature blue coat, and the ruby hat. She smiled warmly at parents and children who greeted her but her hand never left the shoulder of her grandchild. The girl in question looked so strikingly similar to Hecate on the very first day they met that Pippa felt her heart catch. 

“Hello Pippa,” the warm greeting pulled her from her memories and Pippa forced a smile.

“Mary, a pleasure as always.” If there was a bit of a bitter angry underbite to her words, neither commented. In fact she saw Mary’s hand tighten ever so on the girl’s shoulder.

It was Josephine who broke the tension by performing a no doubt well practiced bow and greeting, “Well met, Miss Pentangle. I’m Josephine and I’m ever so excited to be coming here this year. Mother said it was the best school in the country and she reckons it could be in the whole of Europe. She couldn’t be here today because of a conference in the Baltic but that’s why my grandmama is dropping me off.”

“Josephine,” the soft interruption of Mary stopped the girl’s rambling, “That’s quite enough. Do remember what we spoke of earlier.”

“Sorry,”Josephine looked down at her feet, “I tend to ramble when I’m nervous.”

Pippa couldn’t help but smile warmly at the young witch, “You know I had the same issue when I was younger. You’ll make a perfect fit here. This is my deputy, Mrs Oswald. Why don’t you show Josephine to where the other first years are gathering?”

“It was nice meeting you, Miss Pentangle,” said the child before she went with deputy and after she gave a long, tight, loving hug to her grandmama. 

Mary smoothed down her jacket, looking impeccable as always, and was just about to excuse herself when she noticed Pippa had drawn awfully close to her.

“Did you make her keep this from me?”

Mary let out a chuckle, “I couldn’t nor would I ever force my daughter to do anything. Except of course eat her vegetables but that was quite some time ago. Now, before you make a fuzz or a scene, I suggest you take the matter up with her.”

“She’s the one who stopped writing the letters,” said Pippa.

Mary looked at the blonde witch, “Strange, she said it was you.”

“If you’re suggesting-”

“Nothing of the sort. Don’t be ridiculous, my dear. But it is rather strange is it not?” When there was no response, Mary pulled her leather gloves from her bag. “She’s a bright young girl, my granddaughter, a bit too bright at times but I take it Pentangles can handle it, given all the talk that’s been fluttering about the house in the last month.”

“Are you-”

But Mary cut her off again, “Don’t be silly. I suggested she apply to this school even if it’s here.” Her face wrinkled at the country she had previously sworn never to set foot in but things change and given how busy her daughter was and with her wife heading to Greece for the opening of a new museum, she wasn’t left with much of a choice. She took a tentative step closer and lowered her voice while looking around, “I would take care of who sits at your table and teaches your children, Pippa. Diana and I braved many storms before we managed to find our daughter again. Do not let anything happen to my granddaughter.”

Pippa’s frown deepened at the words, “Tell me who the father is.”

Mary offered her an enigmatic smile and gave the headmistress the once over. “You’ll find that answer with the girl.”

Pippa wanted to ask more about the child, about Hecate, about the abrupt halt to the letters but Mary had already stepped back and disappeared. There were no familiar clouds, no familiar umbrella, no floating into the sky, no, nothing of the sort. Almost as if the Mary Poppins this country knew was gone and whatever the mysterious reason behind that most likely lied with Hecate and now the granddaughter. But what could it possibly be?

****

In the month that followed it quickly became apparent that Josephine Hardbroom had inherited her mother’s brilliance with potions. Her skill was unmatched and Pippa did boil a bit of that down to the fact that Hecate must have been teaching her at home already. Not that she could blame her. Josephine was exceptionally bright but also kind hearted. There were many times where she found the young girl helping out classmates either by making suggestions of certain cuts needing to be made for certain roots or the crushing of others to obtain the juices better. 

Yes, there was no denying Pippa was keeping a close eye on the girl. Curious as to who the other parent could be and what else she could have inherited, anything for a sign that showed off other traits not belonging to the love of her life and yet those glimpses were fleeting. Perhaps it was because she saw too much of Hecate in the young girl that she couldn’t see what if anything another had gifted the child. Still she kept her eyes open. 

Josephine made friends with a fellow first year by the name of Gwen Alastor and the two quickly became best friends. Where Josephine excelled in potions, Gwen was a natural at spell science. But given that Gwen was from a non witching family, Pippa couldn’t help wonder how the Hardbroom family would take the matter even though the family was non traditional themselves. 

It was one evening when Josephine had finished a mirror call with her mother that she bumped into the Pentangles headmistress lingering outside of the door. The girl smiled warmly, “Is everything alright, Miss Pentangle?”

Pippa smiled, “I think I’m supposed to be asking that.”

The girl, who was too observant, shook her head, “Oh, it’s nothing really. It’s just one of mom’s sickly weeks and they have me awfully worried. She always pulls through in the end.”

Pippa frowned. She hadn’t heard anything about Hecate being ill. “What sort of illness?”

“The doctors can’t pinpoint it,”Josephine shook her head, looking sad because she was truly worried for her mother, “She’s had since before I was born but they keep telling me it’s not fatal.”

“Do you think they might be lying?”

Josephine shrugged, “Sometimes but grandmama always tells me that they’re coming closer to answers. I really hope so.” She looked at the tall witch, noting the various emotions fluttering across her face, and suddenly the girl felt a nudging thought come to mind. “Are you alright, Miss Pentangle?”

Pippa looked up and smiled, “Yes, run along now. You don’t want to miss dessert.”

“Are there sprinkled donuts?”The girl’s face lit up when Pippa nodded and she quickly took off running, joining her best friend who was waiting at the end of the hall.

“What did Miss Pentangle want? She looks worried,”said Gwen, a red haired girl with freckles.

“She just asked about my mom. Come here,” Josephine looked over her shoulder before pushing open the door to an empty classroom. “I know I wasn’t supposed to hear this but I heard my grandparents talking about how my father is here at this school.”

Gwen gasped, “Oh, did they say a name?”

Josephine shook her head, “No, mom caught me before I could hear anymore but I do know it has to be someone mom knew from her past.”

Gwen tapped her chin in thought. “We could find out where they keep the records and stuff.”

“Do you mean the library?”

Gwen shook her head, “Too public. It’ll probably be somewhere they won’t let us go like the basement or the attic.”

“Castles don’t have attics.”

The girls looked at one another then nodded, “Basement.” For this was a mystery worth solving since Josephine had an inkling her grandmama suggested this school for a reason when she quietly tapped a well manicured nail at the Pentangles name and summoned forth the forms. She and Gwen had spent countless hours talking into the night about how they came to Pentangles and Gwen agreed that there was something more going on than bth of them knew of especially after Gwen learned who Josephine’s grandparents were.

Gwen had pulled out old newspaper clips of a scandal that rocked the magical community over thirty years ago. How the fabled Mary Poppins married a witch from Spain and suspiciously months later became pregnant. The council accused her of performing some dark rite or heaven forbid blood magic. Mary had scoffed at the notion, shrugging it off as nonsense, and claimed the child was that of her wife’s. It was a blasphemous statement because it claimed that magic had evolved. Something which the Great Wizard and the council refused to acknowledge. When Mary and Diana produced the evidence that such pregnancies occurred the world over, ranging from main land Europe to the Eastern places of Asia like Japan and few even in Africa, the council gave it a thoughtful consideration but the Great Wizard refused to acknowledge such power.

Instead he waited till the child was born then forced a parental test. Sure enough it stated that the child was a mix of Mary Poppins and Diana Hardbroom. Apparently in his anger, the Great Wizard refused entry to Diana, sending her back at the border under the threat of arrest and took the child from Mary. He placed the witch under a powerful mind spell, hoping it would erase such a thing then threatened everyone to bury it.

Considering that Gwen’s parents were non magical, they did have magical friends who stole copies of the records due to belonging to an unground resistance group. One who fought for the evolution of magic but it was getting dangerous during that time and they decided to hide the records, official and newspaper clippings, with Gwen’s family. It was how the girl knew so much about.

When Josephine asked how Mary managed to break the mind spell, Gwen didn’t know but she did know that Mary was far more powerful than the Great Wizard according to the records. She technically wasn’t supposed to read them but she was ever so curious after discovering she was a witch that she just poured through everything remotely connected to magic.

The two friends discussed this during the night after Gwen performed a silencing spell on the room. She asked if Josephine ever asked her grandparents about it and she did say yes but that was a sensitive subject, much like her mom’s past and given that she was attending school in the very country that refused Diana Hardbroom’s entrance and very existence, well both girls understood why it was a topic not much discussed at home. Loose tongues and all that. 

Given what both girls knew, they agreed that Josephine’s father was most likely another witch. But who?

“Tonight?”

Josephine nodded, “Let’s sneak into the basement. I know a good potion to break through wards and locks.”

“I would hope so considering your mom is Hecate Hardbroom, the most brilliant potions mistress ever. Man, I’m slightly jealous.”

Josephine laughed before the friends left the classroom but they suddenly bumped into a teacher. Miss Charlene Bonaparte, the languages teacher, who looked at them with a stern albeit curious expression. “And what were the two of you doing in there?” She asked in her shrilly voice.

“We thought it was the bathroom, miss,”said Gwen quickly, “I could have sworn there was one here.”

Miss Bonaparte pointed down the hallway, “Third door to the left.”

“Thank you, miss!”

The two girls hurried off, not noticing the teacher’s eyes narrow in their direction. It was later that night that Miss Charlene Bonaparte wrote a letter to the Great Wizard, stating her suspicions of another peculiar child existing and being taught at this new modern school. You see, Miss Bonaparte was a curious witch who loved the heavy traditional masterpiece of the old days. She didn’t agree with this new modern school and when she was assigned by the council, well she was ecstatic that she’d find numerous things wrong with it but so far the strict in code things bothered her.

But she would find numerous things wrong in time, she was certain of that. She also took to watching the child curiously.after all when the cousin of the Great Wizard had a peculiar daughter who went on to also have a child, well the likelihood of the peculiar repeating was definitely there. Miss Charlene Bonaparte suspected it had something to do with the Pentangles headmistress and if that was the case, well the school couldn’t stay open now could it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I included some of Mary and Diana’s past because it is important and lots will evolve. Also if anyone is curious, Pippa and Hecate are now in their early thirties. I feel like that’s important, hmm  
> Watch out when little kids are on a mission  
> I’ll see you in the next one


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re gaining momentum in the story and I think this one might be a bit surprising but it all has a reason, let’s see if it pans out  
> All mistakes are my own  
> On to the chapter we go!

The tiny bell clipped to the door jiggled. It was a quaint little book store. One where both normal people and the magical community shopped, in fact this was the sole bookstore that sold the proper textbooks in the whole country. Pippa looked around, dressed as a normal person in dark jeans, a green shirt, long dark jacket, and boots. She slowly walked through the rows when she noticed the shopkeeper talking with a customer. Occasionally she would glance over before continuing her browsing. She noticed the large section filled with all the published books written by Hecate and while there was a swelling of pride in her heart, there was also sorrow because she should have been there, should have been Hecate’s first reader for each of them. 

She looked at one of the newer books. A beautiful dark brown leather bound book with soft gold accents and plucked it from its spot. Her fingers traced the name, slowly and she took a deep breath. Making her way over to the counter, her magic weaved toward the door as the last customer left and locked the door, turning the sign to closed.

Placing the book on the counter, the shopkeeper pulled it towards her, grinned. “Oh, you’ll love this one. I got a fresh batch in this,” she looked up and felt her heart drop and in a whispered tone finished her sentence, “morning.” Indigo froze, “Oh shit.”

“Indigo,” greeted Pippa but she couldn’t even bare a smile for the friend.

Indigo took a deep breath, “Pippa.” She slid the book across the counter, “It’s on the house. Do you want to go upstairs for a cup of tea? I live above the shop. I also have something stronger because I’m guessing you just found out.”

“I found out three months ago,” whispered Pippa, her hands trembling.

Indigo came out from behind the counter and gently placed an arm around the woman’s shoulders, “Come on, let’s talk.”

The loft was quaint like the book store below but magic had enchanted it to make it more comfortable and Pippa knew whose magic it was. The pain squeezing in her heart didn’t lessen when she noticed the pictures of Hecate and Indigo together especially when she noticed the one picture of Hecate holding the newborn babe. Her hand trembled when she reached out to pick it up.

“It was an easy labor, almost like the babe was ready to explore the world,”said Indigo when she came out of the kitchen carrying a bottle of brandy and two glasses. “You can keep that if you want.”

“You were there?”

“Yeah,” Indigo nodded to the couch for Pippa to sit on while she took the hanging chair, “March 19th, the start of…”

“Ostara,” finished Pippa

Indigo smiled, “Probably why she always called Josephine her little sun.”

Pippa sank into the couch, still holding the framed picture. Hecate looked tired but so happy with a bright smile, cradling the baby in her hands while little Josephine wrapped tiny fingers around Hecate’s index finger.

“Who told you?”

Pippa shook her head. “No one. Her name was on the roster for this year’s new students at Pentangles.”

“Oh,” Indigo was taken back by the news and poured the brandy, handing one over to the blonde but when Pippa didn’t take it, she set it down on the coffee table. 

“Josephine told me Hecate’s sick.”

“Yeah,” Indigo nodded, “She’s unstable. Not mentally but physically, she keeps getting caught up in these time vortexes and no one can figure out why. I shouldn’t even be telling you because she swore me to secrecy but honestly I don’t know how much longer Hecate will be around before she completely disappears.” She took a sip from the brandy, “I keep telling her she should tell you but she’s as stubborn as they come. Probably still upset when you stopped writing back.”

Pippa frowned, “Mary said the same thing but I never heard back after my last letter telling her that I was going to visit soon.”

Indigo opened her mouth to say something then closed it, she thought about her answer carefully then drained her glass, “To hell with it,” she muttered, “You never got her letter after that saying she was pregnant?”

Pippa shook her head, “No, did she not want me to come?”

Indigo laughed, “Sorry, she wanted you to come more than anything. Hold that thought.” Indigo got up and started rummaging through the various shelves and drawers until she pulled out a small envelope. It hadn’t paled much since it was kept hidden in a drawer. “Don’t tell her because I’m pretty sure she’ll turn me into a pig or something but I made a copy of her letter. I can’t tell you directly because she swore me to secrecy like the others but I can nudge you in the right direction. That was her very last letter she wrote you and it was what is included that made her believe you wanted nothing to do with her anymore.”

“But why-”

“Read it. I tell you and she’ll be here in a split second to stop me.”

Concerned, Pippa took the letter with trembling hands and broke the wax seal. She extracted the letter and unfolded it. Sure enough Hecate’s penmanship stared at her but she noticed there were sections where water drops had stained the pages. There were five long pages and before she started reading she saw Indigo move to the window and look outside.

“Don’t you dare show up,” Indigo whispered, “Don’t you dare. I told you I’d fix this. Oh! Don’t mind me. Read.”

Pippa turned her attention back to the letter dated a bit over twelve years ago and began reading. It began with Hecate’s excitement at her visit but it turned to a nervousness she hadn’t before seen in the dark haired witch. As the letter went on, Pippa felt her heart race, her throat became dry, tears stung at the corner of her eyes but she willed them not to drop until she reached the very end and by then she was truly crying.

Indigo turned away from the window and sighed. The truth was now out there but how would Pippa react?

“Josephine is,” Pippa’s voice faltered, cracking as she spoke, she swallowed the lump in her throat but it refused to leave, “Josephine’s mine?”

Indigo nodded. “You know it’s possible. It’s rare but magic has a mind of its own, making it possible.”

“I have a child,” whispered Pippa disbelief mingled with elation and fear, “I have a child with Hecate.” Her past worries seemed to vanish and she smiled, laughed even at the knowledge that she, Pippa Pentangle, was the father of the child, that Hecate had loved her even with the news of the pregnancy. She clutched the letter and rose to her feet then suddenly froze. “But who kept this letter from me?”

“Now you’re asking the right question,” nodded Indigo, “But it was someone higher up, is what I believe. There’s something strange going on in this country and it all started when Mary became pregnant with Hecate.”

“You don’t think the council-”

“Perhaps, have you never found it odd that Diana always had to disguise herself whenever she enters this country? Or the fact that Mary despises it and she’d only step foot here for her granddaughter? Or the fact that Hecate can’t come within a hundred miles of the border before she gets pulled into a time vortex that sends her back to Spain?” Indigo paused then shook her head, “Scratch that last one. You didn’t know of that but now you do so someone or something is actively keeping you two apart and I think this might just be the beginning because they’re coming for your school.”

Pippa wanted to argue that it sounded like a too farfetched conspiracy but she had noted the odd things occurring around the building of Pentangles and while most of her staff was personally picked by her there was one assigned by the council and the Great Wizard had upped his usual annual inspections to be three times a year but strictly for Pentangles.

“Time magic is forbidden in England,” she said, her brow furrowed in confusion, “there are relics though under the care of the council.” She had noticed such when she was vying for her school to come to life and was given a rundown on the relics by the ever helpful tour guide. “But that doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone want to keep Hecate and I apart?”

“Because the soul magic involved in producing an heir goes against the very fabric of tradition and it’s a direct threat to the Great Wizard,” said Indigo.

“How do you know all of this?”

“Oh, Susan Willingham, She’s a witch and my helper in the store, also knows quite a bit of the London Underground of the magical world. Fascinating stuff.”

Pippa thought about the words and the information carefully and if it was true, well the anger began stirring deep inside her magic. “Are you telling me that someone at Pentangles has kept me from my family this entire time?”

Indigo took a slight step back. She had never witnessed Pippa angry before and the crackling magic surrounding the witch was radiating in all directions. The brandy filled glass on the coffee table shattered because Pippa already knew the answer to that question and in a swirl of pink and gold magic the headmistress disappeared.

“Lord have mercy on whoever decided to piss her off,” said Indigo softly before sipping from her brandy. Her work here was mostly done, however, she forgot to tell Pippa that she was the godmother of Josephine and if that was alright with her. Ah, well that would have to wait.

****

Josephine and Gwen traversed the basement. Steadily over the last couple of weeks they began mapping out the area and crossing off the places they had already checked. Somehow both of them got a good feeling from the door they were standing in front of. There had to be something and when they creaked the door open, they found an endless room of junk. It would take forever to search this place. 

Gwen kicked the trunk closest to her out of frustration but cursed loudly at the throbbing pain in her foot before sitting down on the ground. 

Josephine noticed that the trunk had popped open to reveal a bundle of letters, some scrolls, a couple of photos. Being the curious children they both were, Gwen grabbed the pictures while Josephine started with the envelopes.

“Whoa!” gasped Gwen, “It’s your mom with Miss Pentangle.”

When she showed the picture, it was a younger version of her mother and the headmistress. They were laughing together at a café, their hands resting on the table, Miss Pentangle’s on top of her mom’s. The girls decided to look at the pictures together. There was one of them strolling hand in hand through the park, another at a festival of some sort where her mom was dressed in this stunningly beautiful silver gown. Then they came across another picture from the festival, it was a bit blurry but they could make out Her mom and Miss Pentangle making out by the trees like a couple of teenagers.

“You don’t think…” said Josephine.

Gwen shrugged, “It’s possible isn’t it? They look like a couple in all of these pictures. Open the letters” 

The girls read through each letter carefully, examining them with great care, and there were parts so passion both blushed furiously and other parts had to be read covering their eyes, yet both peeked through the slots of their fingers to read them. There was no doubt her mother and Miss Pentangle were far more than innocent friends and their relationship was that of the most romantic and truest either had ever read about but it raised a serious question.

“Why aren’t they still together?” asked Gwen.

Josephine shook her head and looked into the trunk where she found another bundle of letters. This one smaller but dated weeks apart and drifting further. When they read them, they could tell of the distress from both of them, of why the letters weren’t being answered, of the silence, of the forced abandonment of plans, of the questioning of the love they had shared. The defeat hung heavy. Josephine shook her head, “I don’t think they ever received these. Look the seals are broken differently!”

Sure enough the wax seals were ripped open with no care at all. And it was then the young witches realized someone was deliberately keeping the two apart. It was an innocent thing of course. Neither quite understanding the true nature of the situation, let alone how complicated emotions were but the girls would later in the week decide to hatch a plan.

They naturally kept the letters and photos, hid them well in a little chest that was charmed by both their magics and refused to open to others, and it was during the late night talks that Josephine dared ask the question building in her mind.

“Do you think Miss Pentangle could really be my other parent?”

Gwen chewed on the gummy candy divided between them. “Probably,” she said, “After everything we read, definitely. I think the real question is whether or not she’s still in love with your mom.”

“And if my mom is still in love with Miss Pentangle,” said Josephine.

The two friends fell silent. Neither quite certain how they could prove such a thing because asking outright would be absurd not to mention awkward and then any future plans they’d come up with would immediately be traced back to them.

Then it was almost as if the proverbial lightbulb went off in Josephine’s mind as she smiled, “I saw in the paper there is an upcoming potions conference in a couple of weeks. I think I might be able to convince my mom to go.”

“Then we just need to convince Miss Pentangle to go instead of Mr Oswald!” finished Gwen, “Oh, brilliant but how?”

And that was where their plan hit a snag.

****

Pippa spent a restless week pacing in her office. She wanted to mirror Hecate but felt calling would be too impersonal. She thought about showing up at her house, given that the address was in the school files, but that seemed a bit too… well she didn’t know what but it didn’t feel right. The news blew her mind and she spent every day rereading the letter Indigo gave her, the one informing her about the pregnancy written by Hecate. It was twelve years late but each time she read it it still made her heart skip a beat. 

There was so much that she missed out on. She wasn’t there during any part of the pregnancy or the birth, nor did she witness the first steps of her child, first word, first magical incident. All these firsts were stolen from her if she was to believe the high council was involved and if that was the truth…

Her magic blew up the glass vase by the window ledge. Pippa sighed, each time her thoughts traveled along that path, her magic lost control. Waving her hand, the broken pieces disappeared and she sat down on the couch by the fire. 

Aside from the letter she was given the picture of Hecate holding the newborn babe and she absently traced the woman’s tired features. She looked exquisite even in her exhausted state. Pippa brushed the tears from her eyes. That was another thing she had been doing too much of lately: crying. Pretty soon she’d have no more tears left to cry. 

A knock at her door caused her to quickly tuck away the letter and the photo into her pocket, magical enchanted to hide and protect the precious contents, and she hurried to her desk, pretending to be working on paperwork. Clearing her throat she flicked her wrist and invited the knocker in.

Jarvis Oswald walked in, coughing, bundled in a thick woolen sweater, looking absolutely dreadful. He raised his hand when he saw Pippa rising from her seat and shook his head. “I wouldn’t get too close. I’m afraid I’m rather coming down with something.”

“You should be rest, Jarvis,” said Pippa, concerned for her potions teacher.

“Yes, Wanda is already drawing my bath and preparing a tonic but I’m think I have to weather through this,” he coughed again, “I was, however, wondering if you could do me a favor.”

Pippa raised an eyebrow, “Depending on what it is.”

“It’s rather boring but there is a conference next week that I was supposed to go to. I was hoping you could take my place,” said Jarvis, leaning against the door.

Pippa could have suggested his wife go but then again she didn’t want to take Wanda away from the place and person she was most needed. And while she could get someone else to go, it was kind of Jarvis to consider her. Perhaps getting out of the castle for a bit would do her some good. She knew her students would be in good hands under the supervision of her deputy and the rest of her staff. “I’d be delighted. Now rest up and let Wanda tell me in the morning if I need to find a supply teacher for your classes.”

Jarvis smiled sheepishly, “She’s already sent out for one.”

“Of course, rest up, take your time, Jarvis.”

“Thank you, Pippa.”

In the private quarters of the Oswalds

Jarvis leaned against the door and with a twist of the wrist placed a silencing spell. His wife looked away from her book, her glasses perched on her nose as she hid a smile. “And?”

“She’ll go to the conference,”said Jarvis.

“Good, let’s see what comes of it.”

“Are you certain we should be getting involved in this?” He walked toward the bed and sat by his wife’s side, “We are interfering in something we don’t know about.”

“Officially we don’t know about it,” corrected Wanda, “Unofficially we are allowed to nudge.”

“Wanda.”

“What? Nudging can be good.” Wanda shrugged, “Besides it’s all she ever thinks about. This Hecate Hardbroom. It’s circling in her mind, in Josephine’s, in Gwen’s, and it’s echoing like an annoying knock.”

“And what am I to do for a week, hmm?”

“You are to find out the truth about this supposed disruption. We can not allow anything to happen to this school or Pippa.”

Jarvis agreed with that and he had heard the thoughts of those particular students through his wife’s gift, a natural mind reader she was, and it opened up interesting doors because he had noticed the distraction in their close and dear friend when the first year roster arrived. It was him who asked his wife to pry into Pippa’s mind and sure enough all the pieces pointed to the same thing. There was something funny going on and any threat to Pippa and her school was a threat to them as well given their magical backgrounds. Plus neither of them wanted to let Pippa down.

He looked up when he felt his wife’s warm hand on his cheek. Smiling he leaned forward and kissed her softly, “If she finds out about the nudging, it’s on you.”he said it in a playful manner causing Wanda to swat his shoulder.

“It’ll be fine. Pippa is family.”

Jarvis couldn’t agree more. Pippa was indeed family and family stuck together no matter what.

****

The following week was slow with one of her teachers down with a terrible case of the flu and nothing was helping except for letting his immune system fight it off. Instead Pippa focused on the schedule within the school, everything was running smoothly, and in her spare time she read up on the conference. It sounded rather high stakes with some of the most brilliant minds from all over the world gathering to discuss one of the more recent findings. It was intriguing to say the least because Pippa hoped there was something she would be able to bring back to her school.

Across the sea, Hecate was packing a light bag and double checking to make sure she had the right things. Her mother walked in with a cup of tea and gently touched her daughter’s shoulder. “Are you sure you want to go?”

“You’re worried I’ll have an episode,” said Hecate. It was easier to call the time vortexes episodes, made them less dangerous, less of a thing that threatened her existence in this world.

“It’s not outside of reason,” said Mary, offering the tea to her daughter, “but you will be a benefit to the conference with that brilliant mind. Just do be careful.” She squeezed her daughter’s shoulder.

Hecate sat down, cradling the cup of soothing tea, and took a deep breath. “I’m so tired lately.” She pinched the bridge of her nose before drinking the spearmint tea. She couldn’t help thinking back to the past and if things were different if Pippa was by her side but the choices had been made. It was obvious the blonde witch wanted nothing to do with her or her daughter. It was somewhat ironic though considering her daughter was going to Pentangles. But the less Pippa knew the better but Hecate would make damn certain she would see what brilliant and gifted girl she had missed out on raising.

A chill went through her. The episodes were getting worse and part of her magic felt like it was waning. Her mind was fuzzy at times, mixed with memories of a life she didn’t know about but a life that felt like she had lived it. The fear lingered in the recesses of her mind, behind these startling memories that came with each episode. Problem was she just couldn’t make sense of them. It showed a life where she was imprisoned to a castle she shuddered to think about. Ever since leaving Cackles with her mother, Hecate vowed never to give it the time of day ever again.

Now, however, these new memories or perhaps old memories, memories of another life, all included Cackles, revolving around that old castle and even older school system. Another chill went down her spine until she felt a warm blanket be draped across her shoulders. She looked up to find her mother covering her with a blanket and gently rubbing her shoulders, warding off the chill. 

“I’m with you every step of the way,” said Mary, “If you need me to get you…”

“I know what to do, mom. Thank you,” Hecate smiled softly. A small relief went through her when her mother kissed her forehead.

“Finish your tea before it gets cold.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I make a certain couple like a certain pair of Avengers from the films? Maybe! I like those movies and great couple but still these are unique in their own way so it served as inspiration.  
> Who saw Indigo coming with a copy of the letter? She might not be a witch but she’s smart, resourceful, and Hecate’s best friend so that definitely counts for something plus she’s Team Hicsqueak all the way  
> Thanks for reading and as always I’ll see you in the next one


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I love your comments especially if it’s from regular readers. You make me write this faster so thank you to everyone who comments  
> All mistakes are my own  
> On to the chapter

The conference saw her leave the country for a ten day event in the heart of Tuscany. Pippa had always wanted to visit Italy but she always imagined it would be with a certain raven haired witch by her side. Her fingers absently traced the magical pocket she created in her dress. The letter and photograph were never far from her, always on her person during her waking hours, and safely tucked under her pillow at night. She couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from the items. In fact Pippa had been giving quite a thought to the rather interesting theory Indigo had told her. It gave her reason to believe perhaps there was someone at Pentangles not completely loyal to her and her vision of a modern magic future. 

Before she left she sent a letter to her mother, asking if they could meet in Tuscany, because one she had to apologize for her behavior that night and two she now knew the truth but she didn’t dare include that in the letter. She sent it off with her most trusted owl, a beautiful verreaux’s eagle owl, that she had since it hatched. The owl was utterly devoted to her and would see the letter delivered without incident. She informed her mother not to write back, instead specifying a location her mother was familiar with, given all that she traveled with Diana.

Pippa hadn’t slept well the night before she left. Her mind raced with the possibility of running into Hecate at the conference. Part of her heart wanted that to come true, silently kept repeating it over and over again like a sacred prayer. But for all the things she had already faced in her life, running into Hecate again after all these years kind of terrified her. It was silly of course yet it wasn’t. Pippa yearned for Hecate, for the love they once had, for the family that was bestowed upon them by the fabric of magic yet she felt like she was staring at an impossible wall. It raced in every direction, growing higher and higher as it blocked her from the very person she needed to see.

During the flight, Pippa ran through one imaginary conversation to the next should she cross paths with Hecate. While she did know the witch well enough to guess at some of her responses, she didn’t dare assume anything now that they were both older and more mature. She wanted to tell her that she knew, knew about Josephine, knew about the fact someone was keeping them apart, knew about the illness while at the same time she wanted to keep quiet. Instead she wanted to tell Hecate when she had proof that this imposed silence and heartbreaking rift wasn’t her fault, neither of their faults.

And when Pippa found who was responsible, because it wasn’t a matter of if but a strong when, they would wish they were never born. 

****

Charlene Bonaparte walked the council building with an air of superiority about her. By the end of the year this would be looking greatly improved for her. She made her way down a long flight of stairs, keyed in her identification code, and offered up a bit of her magic. When the heavy steel door hissed open, she waited for the smoke to stop pouring out before she stepped inside the clandestine room.

She peered at the various screens, all playing of the familiar family, and looked to the glowing golden gem in the certain. The status was well over seventy percent which was good considering how it slowed in previous years. She had an inkling that during the conference the gem would charge fully or close to full where she could then go and make amends for the past. It was after all her sworn duty. 

The time gem activated in a different timeline and it was the Great Wizard who called upon her services. She knew what had been changed and those changes were echoing a ripple across the country. You see, in the original time Mary Poppins was murdered for the peculiar heir she brought into the world and Diana was hunted down. Now Charlene couldn’t confirm if they had been successful in eliminating her as well but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that a wishing star was given to the young Joy Hecate Hardbroom and she broke the Code with the spell she used, successfully confining her to he Cackles Academy where Hecate would be unable to sire another such heir thus ending the soul magic from transpiring within the country.

Unfortunately none of them could have predicted the altering of the timeline by the stubborn headmistress of Pentangles and yet here they were. The Great Wizard had wanted to reject the school but Charlene carefully reminded him that the timeline shouldn’t be changed too drastically thus he agreed to the creation of Pentangles and Charlene was the ever observant and loyal witch on the inside.

The time gem wouldn’t return the old time. No, that was long since closed off to them even if someone where to perform the same exact spell, there was no going back. Charlene suspected after the involvement of time magic and Pippa’s interference with the child Joy that it closed off the other timeline but at the cost of the witch’s life and most likely the last of the Hardbroom line as well. Shame they couldn’t have just stayed dead, as the dust of the cosmic realm.

Charlene Bonaparte took calming breaths. She was the last of her line, of the time mages who swore an utter oath to the Great Wizard and this new form of magic: soul, was really starting to grind her nerves. It wasn’t right. The soul decided what magic could be performed, to control life and death, to usher forth witches stronger than the Great Wizard. No, that form of magic was a disease to the structure of this country. Others may accept it but they, too, would one day pay the price. England would set the example of what was right and soul magic certainly wasn’t on that list. The time gem would ensure that once it was fully charged.

Because with that, Charlene would finish the work of the time vortexes and destroy Hecate Hardbroom once and for all. Then Pentangles would be razed to the ground. That heir birthed between the foolish Pentangle and the Hardbroom would die, and everything would right itself again. The world would be safe, England would continue to prosper, and she would face the end of her own line in the high plains of Wales.

A content smile came to her lips, “Soon, my dears, everything will be normal again.” Charlene held her hand out to the time gem, sensing its power, its itching need to expand, and the explosive underlying current, “Soon.”

****

Christine Pentangle sat outside of her favorite cafe in the heart of Tuscany. It was located on a quiet street where people occasionally strolled through but the area itself was quite unremarkable. It was one of the reasons she preferred it here. No one to bother you, no prying eyes, no curious spectators, nothing that beckoned other people’s attention unless you forced them too. The air was beautiful, fresh and calm, the weather an ideal perfect warmth with the sun soft in the sky but still she sat under an umbrella. A large cup of coffee rested in front of her, adorned with the delicious and almost sinfully sweet cream the cafe owner knew she loved and a good sprinkling of chocolate sprinkles covered the cream. 

She had thought about ordering a slice of that freshly bake tiramisu cake but decided to wait off on it since she was meeting her daughter. Her daughter who hadn’t spoken to her in a handful of months. Not that she fully blamed her given the circumstances but still it wasn’t pleasant. If this went alright then she’d order a slice, if it went bad, well she’d eat the whole cake.

A waiter came out to ask if she wanted anything when she spotted the familiar silhouette of her daughter walking toward the cafe. “Not yet, thank you, dear,” she smiled at the waiter and waved them off. “Pippa, is this-” Before she could say more her daughter had already wrapped her up in a tight hug, refusing to let go, and Christine, startled at first, eventually gave in and returned the hug. It was the silent apology she hadn’t wanted but was glad to have received all the same.

“I know,” whispered Pippa, her arms tightening around her mother, “I know Josephine’s mine.”

“Well, I’ll be,” said Christine. She smiled warmly when their embrace ended and gestured for her daughter to sit, “Did she finally come around?”

“No,” Pippa shook her head, “Indigo gave the letter, turns out she’s had a copy all these years.”

Christine looked surprised, “And she never once gave it to you, interesting.”

“She thinks the council is behind it.” This time it was Pippa to look surprise when her mother chuckled softly.

“My dear, if you knew the hell Diana went through to get back to Mary,” said Christine, “then you’d know the council is nothing more than a bunch of outdated and over expired ideals that missed garbage day.”

“Mother!”

“Oh, it’s true. Don’t be so surprised.” 

“Is that why you spent so much time with Diana?” The question had always been on her mind because there were times when she hadn’t seen her mother for months at a time. Pippa understood the she did, the business side of it, the travel involved, hell there were times when her mother came home bloody and bruised, but it always felt a little strange. And it wasn’t a question she dared ask until now. 

“Yes, we were trying to find a way to save Mary before the Great Wizard went through with his plan.”

Pippa frowned, this hadn’t ever been talked about before, “What plan?”

“Her execution,” said Christine. “He planned on using a time relic to rip her soul apart because he knew he couldn’t win a head on duel with her. Mary’s much more powerful than people think which is probably why he’s always been afraid of her. Luckily he’s also not as smart as he makes himself out to be. We managed to destroy most of the time relics and gems but one I believe was reconstructed by the last time mage.” She took a sip from her coffee, “We haven’t been able to track that one down but once we do, this mess is ending.”

Pippa stared at her hands. She could scarcely believe it. How could such primitive thinking still be dominate in the council and the Great Wizard of today? She’d always known they cherished their traditions and upheld them to the highest standard but this... This was absurd, more than that, it was dangerous thinking. “How...”

“Traditions have always dominated and when something as a child being born to witches comes to the forefront, well it’s a direct threat to tradition.”

“Then why did we stay in such a backward country?”

“Because it can be changed, I believe in that, and when it finally learns to embrace change instead of smothering it, England can be quite an active player.”

“Why did you never tell me before?”

“And risk my only daughter’s life? I’m not a fool,” Christine shook her head, “It’s a game the council plays and the Great Wizard. They don’t think they can be defeated and that their traditions will stand till the end of time. What they don’t realize is of the change weaving paths beneath their very noses.” The older woman sighed and reached across the table to grasp her daughter’s hand. “I love you too much to let anything happen to you, Pippa. I know keeping the secret of Josephine these last twelve years doesn’t make it seem that way but I swore to Hecate that I wouldn’t tell you. It pained me every day because you two belong together, you belong as a family, but there is more to this than letters being kept secret. Someone is trying to bring back a past they know nothing about.”

“What are you talking about?”

Christine took a potion from her purse, “There was another you once. Long ago when Hecate was still an orphan enrolled at Cackles. That you stopped her from making a very grave mistake but it cost that version her life.” The witch paused. She didn’t want to give Pippa the potion, didn’t want to convince her daughter to drink it out of fear of losing her again but she had been there that day afterwards.

Both she and Diana appeared in the woods of Cackles where a much older Hecate was cradling an equally older Pippa in her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks as the pink dressed witch’s breathing grew shallower and shallower. It wasn’t long till death claimed her and the older Hecate was ripped into the time vortex that now plagues this world’s Hecate.

But she and Diana spent months, years researching it, trying to prevent it, trying to get a way to banish it but they found they couldn’t unless both of them knew the true. Hecate was already plagued with memories that she didn’t know where they came from or how they were hers because it was a life not her own and yet it was her own. Oh, the trickyness of time travel and magic. It was always a pain in the ass. Still all their research pointed to Pippa and Pippa had to know the truth about what happened in another time. They believed it was the only way to finally get rid of the time vortexes and keep Hecate alive with her daughter. 

“I believe you need to know about that other life.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then we may not be able to save Hecate.”

****

Hecate sat through the lecture, doing her best not to appear bored out of her mind at the droning about a wizard from England who believed the current traditions were enough to improve potions. When she glanced around at her fellow witches and wizards, she saw the saw bored look on their faces. Of course the heart of Europe was moving forward, their potion methods and spell casting were generations ahead of the ideals of England yet the country failed to see it and believe they still had a say in what was what.

She bit back a yawn when he began explaining how the ancient pagan forefathers brought forth the safety and the regulations with which potions were first attempted but that caused another wizard from deep with the audience to begin heckling him. An argumentative debate brought out where clearly the wizard from England was out of his element and he hosts behind the event called a hastily lunch. 

The day ended with the new and rather fascinating distillery methods being brought to light and they gave Hecate much to think about as she left the conference building and took a casual stroll of the city. Tuscany was beautiful but it was the country side that interested her far more. It was peaceful, quiet, beautiful, ideal for living a life such as hers. It was that thought perhaps Josephine would also like the richness the Italian area had to offer that made the young mother swing by the realtor place. She stood outside, browsing over the houses currently for sale when she spotted a bit of pink in the corner of her eye.

Her heart gave a sudden jolt but when she looked, there was relief because it wasn’t who she suspected instead it was a children’s group hurrying toward the ice cream shop with ribbons trailing behind them. She did her best to keep her mind off of who she thought and secretly hoped it had been. There was too much pain in her memories to truly recall everything no matter how much she wanted to. The fact her daughter was attending Pentangles was bad enough. She’d never be able to go to a parent teacher conference until her ailment was taken care of.

It was that thought that turned her away from the houses even though she had spotted the ideal one and with money not being an issue, it would have been a simple purchase. But the time vortexes were pulled at the back of her mind and so far with nothing positive coming from the doctors, Hecate believed it wouldn’t be long until she’d never make it out again.

The next morning and halfway through the conference, Hecate made her way to a new seating arrangement. Her health wasn’t quite agreeing with her on this day but she was interested to see what the speakers today had to bring forth causing her to still go. As she reached the upper level, a slight loss of vertigo in her head made her focus on the pamphlet on her hand. She never saw the other person walking in her direction until they collided with one another.

“I am terribly sorry,” said Hecate, the ringing in her head disappeared and the world fell silent when she found herself face to face with the person she least expected. “Pippa,” she said rather breathlessly.

The blonde witch had become more mature over the years and she was still as beautiful as the day Hecate fell in love with her. But even now she was growing more attractive as the years passed. She felt her heart beat in her throat.

“Hecate,” Pippa said softly, wanting nothing more than to step forward and wrap the other woman up in her arms. Resisting such an action was harder than she imagined. There was so much to say, so much to talk about, yet her throat was dry and she couldn’t manage the words. “Please don’t run away,” she said quietly, “I’m not sure I could handle that after everything.”

Hecate arched a delicate eyebrow at the words, soft spoken almost with a lingering break, and when Pippa’s eyes dropped from hers, she felt rather rooted in her spot. 

Silence fell between the two witches. Neither knowing how to start the conversation, neither knowing what to say, neither having a way out. Hecate swallowed the uncomfortable lump in her throat. “What brings-”

Pippa shook her head, “Don’t try to make this casual. Not with our past.”

“If you wish me to leave, say it and I’ll be gone.”

“Wasn’t twelve years enough of a separation?” The whispered question was out before Pippa could stop herself. “Were you ever going to tell me? About Josephine?”

Hecate was a bit taken back, “I did and assumed since I heard nothing back, you didn’t care.”

“I never got your letter. Don’t you think if I did I would have been by your side in a heartbeat? Do you really believe me so callous I wouldn’t want to be there with you, raising our daughter together?”

Hecate glanced around, “Perhaps this isn’t the place to speak of this.”

“You’re right, there is a little villa my mother used to stay at,” suggested Pippa, “If you’d be alright with that.”

Hecate nodded, closing her eyes when the familiar feeling of Pippa’s magic embraced her as the blonde witch transferred them from the conference. Coming out of the transference, Hecate bit back the longing the magic provoked, taking several steps back to formed a more respected distance between them. Pippa’s look of disappointment did not go unnoticed. 

“How did you find out?” Hecate looked around the cozy villa, noting the light layer of dust across the surfaces, “If you never received my letter.”

Pippa tried to think about wording her answer with care instead she blurted, “When the love of your life all of a sudden has a daughter enrolled in my school, it’s enough to bring anyone to investigate.”

“That explains your reasoning,” said Hecate calmly, “it doesn’t explain how.”

“I went to see Indigo,” said Pippa crossing her arms over her chest, “I had thought there might be something between the two of you.”

Hecate scoffed at the notion, the very idea, “Ridiculous.”

“How was I supposed to know that?” Pippa took a breath, “She had a copy of your letter and gave it to me. I swear, Hecate, on all that I am, I never received the original. If I had, I would have crossed the sea in a heartbeat.”

“You wouldn’t have your school.”

“Don’t you think you’re more important to me than my school? Don’t you think I would have put my family first?”

“I-” Hecate went to say something but there was a powerful pain shooting through her head and as she swayed forward, Pippa was already there, holding her up, steadying her.

“What do you need?” Pippa asked softly.

Hecate shook her head, “It’ll pass.”

The blonde witch guided her toward the couch. With the wave of her hand, it refreshed from the year of disused, and she gently made the other sit down. Her hands still holding onto Hecate in a contact they hadn’t had in over twelve years. “How bad is it?”

“I don’t know,” whispered Hecate. She spoke after a minute or two of silence passed. “I thought you wanted nothing more to do with me or that maybe you didn’t believe the child could be yours. I thought maybe the festival was just a fling.”

It broke Pippa’s heart to hear the hesitant, quiet tone. The way the dark haired witch’s voice broke at certain points. And Pippa couldn’t prevent herself from reaching out and cupping her cheek. “No,” she shook her head, “no, that was never true. I wanted nothing more than to live a life with you and to start a family.”

Hecate couldn’t meet her one time lover’s eyes. “I had thought about not telling you. You spoke with such passion about the school you wanted to start. I didn’t think a family could be a part of that.”

“We would have found a way to make it work,” countered Pippa, “It wouldn’t have mattered as long as we were together. Surely you must believe that.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore,” whispered Hecate. Her memories were scrambled and getting worse by the day. “I don’t even know who I am anymore.” It was then she confessed of the different memories running amok in her mind, the nightmares plaguing her sleep, of he way the time vortexes tore at her magic and body, threatening to rip her apart, of how she worried about leaving Josephine parentless, of the heartbreak she still carried with her because Pippa never responded back. 

As Pippa listened, she pulled the raven haired witch into her arms. Surprised that she came willingly but pleased nonetheless as she offered her the comfort she needed. She recalled the potion she took from her mother. How easily she embraced it because of it being a possible cure for what plagues the love of her life and when she discovered the other life, the different timeline, the wrongs committed within it especially to Hecate, she feels the burning anger to blow up the council. But she sidelined the anger until she learned more of the truth, more answers, more of what and how to fix this fragileness between them. 

Her anger is still there, still swirling at the pain, confusion, and hurt circling in Hecate’s heart. At what Hecate must have endured when her letter went unanswered, at raising a child alone, well not truly alone given how excellent Mary was with children, but still alone without Pippa at her side. At the mess of the memories that she wishes she could simply fill in the blanks but the problem was in their other timeline lives, she and Hecate faced a devastating separation of thirty years. It was purely unimaginable to her.

When Hecate again said she didn’t know who she was, Pippa shook her head, “Yes you do. You’re the girl who got a second chance and look at what you’ve built.”

“Hardly of significance. I kept my own daughter from her other mother,” said Hecate, it was a difficult thing to believe when her head was pounding and bringing flashes of the nightmares she suffered throughout the years. 

“Because you were scared. I would have been scared too. It’s alright. We can make amends for it.” Come hell or high water, Pippa would find a way to fix this, to resolve this distance, to show Hecate that in all their years apart she never stopped being in love with her.

“You can’t mean that.” Hecate felt the vibration of time around her and pushed it down. Another episode was looming and she didn’t want Pippa to be caught up in one.

“But I do. Look I went back in time for you. I wasn’t expecting to become a mother but I wouldn’t trade her for the world. Would you?”

Hecate gave her a disbelieving look, “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Then you know I’ve already forgiven you.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do and you know it. Stay. Hecate, Hiccup, please. Stay. Let’s build a life like this.”

“There’s so much to learn again,”

“Only twelve years. Not bad considering last time. What do you say? Do you honestly want to give all this up?”

“I...I could never”

“Then come back to me. I love you. I never stopped. I loved you on the day I met you. I loved you every day since and I have never stopped. Not in this timeline. Not in the other timeline. Not in any of them. It’s always been you.”

Somehow with Pippa talking the memories stabilized but it wasn’t enough when she felt the familiar tear apart and bring on the time vortex. This time larger than before as it bloomed out of her chest and engulfed the entire villa. Hecate tried telling Pippa to run, to get away, but the blonde witch refused instead reaching out to grab her hand and suddenly both of them were consumed by the vortex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So got some more background, got some mystery, got more of a villain, got a possible reunion, and we still have three chapters to go! This is fun  
> I’ll see you in the next one


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe I’m almost at the end and there’s still much left to bring up. I’m posting this chapter earlier because I think the next one is going to be quite long. Hopefully this little one is worth it  
> On to the chapter!

Silence.

There was nothing but silence.

Pippa opened her eyes, expecting to see Hecate at her side but the raven haired witch was gone instead Pippa was left floating in this strange murky yet vibrant area. They were inside the time vortex plaguing Hecate since who knew how long. 

Pippa, being of a clear mind, sensed the hidden magic weaving behind the flow of time. It was ancient and powerful, unlike anything she ever felt before but upon closer observation, her magic sensed it wasn’t coming from a person. No, this flow of time was from an object.

Her mother had showed her a memory of the time relics and gems she and Diana contended with over the years before they got to Mary. There was a clear difference between the time magic of the mages and the time magic infused in gems. And this was given by a gem but where could it be?

Looking around she caught glimpses of the other life. The one told by her mother and witnessed in the potion she took. Luckily her mother was by her side when she took it and the onslaught of memories was heart wrenching. It was a life too different from this one. The wishing star given to Hecate was used upon Indigo but the child couldn’t handle the power instead becoming a very threat to the grounds of Cackles. But it was the punishment that broke Pippa’s heart: confinement to the school. A worthy punishment apparently according to Mrs Cackles and the Great Wizard. It was absurd. Another solid reason as to why the council was misusing their positions.

Pippa had watched her other self perform the time spell, ripping open the very fabric to grant Hecate a new lease on life, a life that was now under threat. And she believed that threat came from the council but she wasn’t sure of what form it was taking. 

She could see the loneliness of a brilliant young girl who dared not get too close to anyone, who pushed her away to live her life, it was something very Hecate like. The pain in her heart at this life she was witnessing inside the time vortex grew with the more she saw of the confinement. It wasn’t right nor was it fair and just. A child to live a life in shackles because of a mistake she hadn’t known would be the outcome: ridiculous. Not to mention the Great Wizard handing out wishing stars to young minds who he knew were going to experiment with such a dangerous ingredient.

The blonde witch shook her head. Her other self had been right in performing the time spell and it was something she would do all over again if faced with the choice. But right now she needed to find Hecate. Hecate wasn’t given the choice to willingly explore this other life. Her mother had informed her the potion had no affected on the woman instead it had hurled her into a time vortex that lasted a week.

Moving towards a memory of where Hecate was teaching a potions class, she looked closer, seeing the ill gotten lab of Cackles. It hadn’t changed but then again Pippa never believe Cackles to be capable of change. It was an academy firmly rooted in the past of traditions so dearly loved by the Great Wizard but it was also lacking in the fundamental heart of the magical world. It was, quite frankly, a school that was dead inside because it offered so little growth to the possibility of a better future.

She looked around but still couldn’t find Hecate, instead she caught glimpses of other memories and began weaving through them. Somewhere there had to be the other witch. Dropping further and further felt like going back in time until she found the very memory plaguing her beloved.

But it wasn’t a memory. It was more a mix between a memory and a nightmare. The girl was trying to run across the Cackles grounds toward the gate but each time dark tendrils and chains sprouted from the ground, binding her limbs and pulling her back. She screamed at the horror of watching her mother, Mary, turn away from her and disappear. The scene constantly replayed over and over again. And it was here where Hecate stood, staring, tears forming in her eyes.

Silently Pippa moved closer, carefully lacing their fingers together. The warm touch was enough to catch Hecate’s attention. “You shouldn’t be here,” said Hecate.

“Neither should you,” said Pippa. She looked away from the scene and at the witch, observing quietly, intently.

“It feels so real,” whispered the dark haired witch, “I feel like she abandoned me but I know that’s not true. It can’t be true. She took me from Cackles, she explained everything.” The tears were falling freely now. “She never gave me up for adoption. I was taken as a baby, thrown into the system. My parents fought to be together, fought to find me, I know that’s the truth but this...”

“It continues to haunt you,”finished Pippa, “because there was a life where she didn’t come. Where you had no family and everything was taken from you. Your family, your childhood, your future, your life.”

“Why? I did nothing to anyone.” Her voice trembled and cracked.

“No, you’re perfect. You’re brilliant, beautiful, kind, caring, loving, protective, and so much more. You deserved a life and the council took it. The Great Wizard took it from you simply because you were born of magic they could not accept.” Pippa reached up, gently turning Hecate towards her, and cupping her face. Her thumbs brushed away the tears, “You have to let go of that nightmare.”

“I can’t,” Hecate swallowed the lump in her throat, “I have tried but I can’t.”

“You can and I’m here to help you,”said Pippa. “Do you trust me?”

When Hecate nodded, Pippa’s hands began to glow pink and gold and together they stepped into the memory. Together they pieced together the fragments of the other life. Every step of the way she held onto her beloved, she offered her comfort when the pain got too much, offered a distraction when the knowledge of what was taken from her became too heavy.

It was when they pieced everything together that the time gem revealed itself. All the memories of the other life were sucked inside the ruby stone. Pippa’s thumb brushed over the back of her love’s knuckles as she used her magic to levitate the gem.

“Someone placed this inside your heart,” said Pippa. She was beginning to understand the time relics and gems her mother was talking about more and more. Of how dangerous they were as they threatened the very essence of a living person’s soul. But this one seemed different. It seemed like a fractured piece of another, an incomplete stone but it was more than enough to cause a lifetime of guilt and sorrow and confusion and pain. Pippa moved to destroy the object but Hecate stopped her. “Hecate?”

“Mama always talked about these gems. Once she let me into her study to flip through the pages of her journals from years back,” Hecate smiled at the memory of her parents. It was where she belonged, not in this other life that claimed all happiness from her and turned her into a restrict Code abiding witch. 

Hecate released some of her magic that circled around the stone before it split into sharp tendrils that began striking it, chips were broken off, devoured by her magic, and soon enough Pippa’s own magic joined in. Together they ripped apart the stone, crushing it, dissolving its dust until nothing remained. 

The blonde witch felt the anger in Hecate’s magic. It was quiet but so very present and frightening. The tears were gone from her face, the time gem destroyed, the world around them calm, white, and gentle with the steady golden streams of memories of this life, of her true life. The sound of a child’s laughter drew Pippa’s attention. She caught a glimpse of the memory before looking over her shoulder and found Hecate smiling softly.

Hecate raised her hand, bringing the memory closer, and allowed it to play out in front of Pippa. Josephine was taking her first steps on wobbly legs. She fell down once, giggled, before climbing back to her feet, finding her balance then suddenly running. But when she came to an abrupt halt, she sneezed sending out a spark of fireworks that lit up the entire living room.

“Walking and a magical incident at the same time,” Pippa couldn’t help but laugh. 

Hecate smiled fondly, “She set the curtains on fire that day.” The witch raised her hand, ushering forth another memory: one of a bit older Josephine brewing her first potion. “She blew out the balcony door with a simple sneezing potion. Good thing I never liked that door.”

Pippa watched delighted at the memory playing out in front of her. Absently she reached out for the dark haired witch and pulled her closer, wrapping her arms around her waist, and was pleasantly surprised when Hecate leaned against her. The comfortable silence was basked in as Hecate shared more and more memories of their little girl growing up. Quietly tears of happiness ran down Pippa’s cheeks as she laughed, smiled, cheered especially when little Josephine entered her first broom race and won. 

The girl truly was a perfect blend between them, holding Pippa’s near insatiable sweet tooth even to sneaking a cookie or two before dinner, and Hecate’s intensity when it came to learning something new. But the most interesting memory of all was the one where Josephine received the acceptance letter to Pentangles and at the way Hecate allowed it to come to pass.

“I’m surprised you allowed her to go,” she said softly, resting her chin on the witch’s shoulder.

Hecate ran her fingers over the blonde’s hands, “She’s just as stubborn as you. If I had said no, she would have found a way to get there either way.”

“You’re quite stubborn yourself,” said Pippa, her arms tightening around her beloved. 

Hecate hummed in agreement before looking around the time vortex. It was quiet now, unmoving, ready for them to leave once and for all. The thought made her heart race because it had been so long since she felt stable and at peace. It wouldn’t have been possible without the blonde witch, the love of her life, the one she kept so much from. She stepped away from Pippa, trying not to cry again.

“Hecate?”

The witch shook her head, “I don’t deserve you.”

Pippa took a step closer, trying to catch the other’s gaze before reaching out, her touch soft and gentle. “You deserve so much,” she said, nodding, “We are right for each other. You and I. And that little one,” she summoned an image of their daughter, “is proof of that.” 

Impossibly dark eyes met warm chocolate ones yet Hecate couldn’t understand how Pippa wasn’t angry with her, how she could still hold such faith in their love after everything that happened. “What if I’m not the person you want anymore?”

“You have always been and will always be the person I want,” said Pippa, “the one I fell in love with long before any festival brought us together. I love you.”

Hecate smiled, biting back the tears. It was all she ever wanted to hear and Pippa was the only one she wanted by her side. “I love you too.”

“Then let’s go home.”

****

Charlene Bonaparte rushed down the stairs, tapping her foot impatiently as the metal door hissed open. Something wasn’t right, something was very, very wrong. And when she practically hurled herself into the room she saw why. The time gem had stopped charging and now sprouted a terrible crack across its surface.

“Impossible,” she gasped. She looked to the screens and found them all displaying static. “No, no, no,” she muttered over and over again as she tried to bring back the last images. 

But nothing appeared. In a violent outburst, her hands slammed against the machinery sending up a spray of sparks as her magic destroyed it all. After calming down, she took a deep breath, several in fact before turning toward the time gem. It still held some of its power but not enough to fulfill its true purpose.

“I supposed it’ll have to do.” She carefully plucked it from the stand and left the room in a hastily called transference.

****

It felt strange coming out of the vortex for the last and final time. Hecate felt the solid ground beneath her feet and it almost became too much. Luckily Pippa was there to support her, gently guiding her to the couch. The ordeal almost too much when she saw the exhaustion weighing on the dark haired witch. “You should rest,” she said, “I’ll go make some tea.” However before Pippa could step away, a strong grip wrapped around her wrist and she quickly interlaced their fingers.

“Thank you,” Hecate whispered.

Pippa smiled, leaning down to kiss her beloved’s forehead before giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. She quickly moved about the kitchen, making the tea, thankful her mother had kept the villa well stocked even though it did need a good cleaning. But as she carried the tray back into the living room, she noticed Hecate asleep on the couch. Summoning a blanket, she draped it over the woman and poured herself a cup of tea.

In the quietness she reflected on the memories of Josephine, their precious daughter and through those she could see how the child took after both of them. While she favored more the looks of Hecate, her personality was a delicate mix of them both but now Pippa could see herself in her daughter. It warmed her heart.

But what she couldn’t fathom was why someone kept them apart. The reasons were absurd. Soul magic had always existed but it was never popular due to its extreme rarity and to willingly wish to eradicate such a thing was a fool’s gamble. Nothing about magic could be eradicated because in the attempts of doing so, magic only became stronger. 

The main problem plaguing Pippa was who? She knew the Great Wizard wasn’t working alone. While some of the council may be involved, she believed it wasn’t someone of the council. No, it had to be someone least expected. Her deputy, Wanda and her husband Jarvis were out of the question. She met them while she was touring the Eastern European countries for a new method on educational herbs not often seen on the British isles. They had little faith in the council but surprisingly the three of them quickly bonded and became close friends. Pippa trusted them with her life and knew they would probably be just as concerned as she was if she shared the news with them. 

Perhaps she should message them.

A hoot drew her attention and she found the owl she sent to her mother sitting on one of the ceiling beams. The sliding doors leading to the backyard were open due to the warm weather and Pippa saw the sun would soon be setting. She offered the owl some water and food before summoning a quill and parchment.

When the owl left, Hecate stirred on the couch. Pippa was by her side in an instant, “How are you feeling?”

Hecate rubbed the sleep from her eyes then attempted magic. It had always drained her before but now as she did spell after spell, summoning the elements and various items before stopping, she felt no strain on her abilities. She smiled at the blonde witch, “Better. Dinner?”

It was then Pippa looked around to find a table outside on the patio, covered in a white cloth with several lit candles on it as well as glasses of wine for them and food. Pippa laughed, “Is this a date, Miss Hardbroom?”

“If you wish it to be,” said Hecate. She took Pippa’s hand when the other witch offered to help her from the couch. The side effects of the time vortex were fading and there were no inklings to any more looming on the horizon. It felt as though things were looking up with the gem destroyed. Suddenly she felt Pippa’s magic wash over her and found her clothes were changed to something lighter and more comfortable such as a light shirt and simple pants.

Hecate raised an eyebrow at the design on the shirt but noticed Pippa had changed out of her clothing as well, instead garbed in a simple sun dress for the quiet evening. “Something casual for tonight,” she said with a smile.

“I did wonder where this shirt went,” said Hecate.

“You might have left it behind,” Pippa shrugged, “or I might have kept it.”

Their dinner was light, nothing special but equally delicious as they caught up on the years they spent apart. It was a good step forward and the discovery both always stayed on the look out for news of the other, be it in papers or in the form of a newly published book, article, or whatnot did point to how much neither had ever left the other’s thoughts. When the conversation turned to Josephine, Hecate gladly revealed everything Pippa wanted to know and there was plenty of laughter had at certain events transpiring with their daughter. Still, it didn’t stop the pain in Pippa’s heart because she should have been there.

“Stop beating yourself up,” said Hecate softly, “I think I’ve done enough of that for both of us. We’ll find who is responsible.”

“Yes, I suppose we will,” sighed Pippa, “it feels unimaginable. All of this. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

“It’s certainly not as bad as thirty years.”

Pippa laughed and shook her head, “No, I don’t think I could handle that again.”

Hecate reached across the table, Pippa met her half way, as their hands connected. She smiled at the feeling of Hecate’s thumb brush over her knuckles softly, a steady soothing rhythm. “Thank you. You saved me from the time vortex. I couldn’t have done that on my own.”

“You’re worth all of it,”smiled Pippa, “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

Hecate smiled, “There is a two week vacation coming up, if I’m not mistaken. Would you like to officially meet your daughter?”

Pippa’s heart raced at the prospect and she could only nodded her agreement, wiping at her eyes to keep the tears at bay.

****

The conference came to end on a bittersweet note. While much was reignited between her and Hecate, there was still much to newly discover but there was the tentative kiss they had that night after dinner while watching the sun go down. It was a simple kiss where she leaned up and Hecate met her halfway. The kiss sparked the familiar electricity they felt all those years ago, uncovering emotions never truly forgotten but simply buried. They both agreed to take it slow even though the kiss was enough to ignite them.

Coming back to her school was both a relief and a wild anxiety ride. The reconciliation with Hecate brought her a few steps closer to their daughter yet she didn’t want to reveal the secret until the vacation. Then there was still the problem of who was behind the time gem curse upon her beloved. Much to her surprise Wanda and Jarvis were well working on leads and theories given the letter she had sent them and both swore to get to the bottom of the matter. 

It was a few days after the approaching vacation and Pippa’s nerves were somewhat scattered. She kept thinking to the next day, to the plans she made with Hecate, to officially meeting her daughter, wondering how she’d react. If it’d be a good reaction or a bad or indifferent or something. There were too many scenarios playing out in her head that she never noticed Charlene Bonaparte slip into the main hall, time gem in her pocket.

Hecate came out of her transference within Pippa’s chambers. They spent most nights conversing over the mirror where she observed the inside of the headmistress’s room well and trusted her magical ability, now stronger than ever. She smiled when Pippa opened the door and quickly engulfed her a hug. “I thought I’d come a bit early. My parents are with Josephine.”

“I’m glad,” Pippa pulled back to gently kiss her beloved when the castle gave a terrible rumble.

Hecate’s hold on the blonde witch’s waist tightened as the time gem in the main hall was activated. A barrier formed around the castle. Then without warning, the castle exploded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They’re back together, back together but the ending uh-oh  
> I want to say more but can’t   
> So, I’ll see you in the next one, my dear readers


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter!  
> I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope you’ll have fun reading it  
> On to the chapter  
> All mistakes are my own

Christine Pentangle was the first to step out of the portal, following in quick succession by Diana Hardbroom. Both looked in horror at the barrier surrounding the Pentangles school estate and the shattered pieces of the castle inside. Oddly enough there were thick heavy chunks of stone suspended in the air but nothing could be seen beyond that.

Christine came to her senses first, fully aware her daughter and Hecate were still inside. “What happened?” She asked over the sudden howling wind.

Wanda looked at the newcomers from her husband’s side and shook her head, “I don’t know! We got transferred out of the castle and then this!” She gestured to the scene.

“Christine,” Diana’s surprisingly calm voice brought everyone’s attention to her. The elder witch had cast a sound barrier around them as well as a shield, protecting them from the biting wind. “Our children are in there and so is the last time mage.”

Christine’s eyes widened before hardening in anger, “Are you one hundred percent certain?”

Diana held out her hand where the silver thin tendrils of magic swirled and when Christine reached out, she sensed the familiar time mage. This was the one they had been searching for for so long. “We need to get inside.”

The two were about to come up with a plan when Wanda interrupted them. “I can do it. I can make an entry into the barrier but you’ll have to hurry.”

“It’ll cause a serious strain to your magic,” said Diana.

Wanda gave a slight grin, “I’m stronger than I look.”

“But that doesn’t explain how we’ll get past the elements.”

Jarvis smiled and took his wife’s hand, “Allow me to deal with that. Together we’ll give you the opening you need.”

There wasn’t much room for debate as Jarvis floated up using his magic to propel him past the barrier. His eyes turned white, erasing his pupils as he summoned his strength to quell back the biting elements. Wanda, on the other hand, stepped through the barrier. Her hands glowing red, her magic reaching out to strike at the erected shield around the castle. A magical arrow shot forth, striking the barrier dead on but it was quickly dissolved and the red washed over the barrier yet Wanda did not give up. 

Curling her fingers, magic sparked between her palms. It lashed at the world around them as her magic over the barrier came swarming back together. The red glow stood stark against it, swirling, growing in strength before suddenly tearing into the shield. Wanda slowly began increasing the distance between her hands, struggling against the strain.

The howling wind and the ferocious elements were beaten back as Jarvis extended his arms. His magic swirling high into the sky as he created a path directly to the opening his wife was tearing into the barrier. Diana dropped the bubble around them and with a nod, she and Christine took off running but when the wind came back even with Jarvis’s best attempts to keep it at bay, she realized they weren’t going to make it.

“Jump!” She yelled to Christine as her magic shot out of her hands and created a board in front of them. Together the elder witches landed on the craft and zoomed towards the hole. They made it just in time as the barrier closed behind them from the powerful strength of the time magic.

Christine and Diana fell off the board, landing on a piece of stone in a rough landing, both of them laughing.

Christine pushed her cloak from over her head and brushed the dust from her arms, “Just like old times.”

“Let’s go get our children,” said Diana, offering her hand to her dear friend.

Christine took it and nodded, pulling herself up, “Let’s end this.”

****

A thick constricting fog surrounded them but somehow they were unharmed by the sudden explosion. When Pippa looked up, she found she was still in Hecate’s arms, slowly floating down to a steady piece of stone as the barrier surrounding them vanished. There was a look of pure concern in those impossibly dark eyes and when Hecate spoke, Pippa was already brushing aside the worry.

“I’m fine,” said the blonde witch, “Are you?”

“Still in one piece,” commented Hecate, “But this is time magic.”

“What-” but Pippa couldn’t finish the question when a golden streak came out of the fog and slammed directly into Hecate’s chest, pushing her back into the depths and consuming her presence. Pippa screamed her name, rushing forward only to skid to an abrupt halt as she came to the edge of the platform they were on. She yelled out her beloved’s name again but received no answer. The fog was too thick to see anything through and her eyes darted around.

Hecate, however, quickly gained her bearings and noticed the powerful magic pushing against her. Her boots skidded along platform after platform as she struggled to gain any form of traction against the enemy. Purple magic ignited in her hands, she placed her palms against the golden streak, releasing a breaking pulse. It halted the streak from going further and she felt the solid ground beneath her feet. She quickly drew a sigil but the streak was faster as it coiled around her waist and lifted her in the air. Seconds before completing the sigil, the streak slammed her through the platform and released her, dissolving away.

The dark haired witch tried to recover but she sensed the time magic swirling in the fog. It encased her limbs as she fell through the fog, bringing with it painful memories she thought she managed to push aside, then a sudden jolt ignited her body in pain. It was impossible to stop the fall and Hecate slammed into the ground. The broken pieces of the platform rained down from above, burying her beneath its weight.

High above Pippa caught sight of another platform. She quickly looked around but the fog revealed nothing. Using her magic as an added boost, the blonde witch flew across the distance before landing gracefully on the second platform. She looked around for Hecate, seeing nothing, then she heard the deafening crack of stone and its breaking as it rained downward. Casting a spell to see through the fog but it lasted briefly, illuminating various platforms at different distances before fading away.

Suddenly a powerful golden streak came up from behind her, coiled around her waist, and pulled her into the depths of the fog. Pippa stared in horror as she quickly realized this was what remained of her school, catching fragments of her classrooms, of the school crest, of various pictures and idle pieces. Shaking her head, her voice came out in a whisper, “No.”

“Yes,” chuckled a familiar voice around her. It both loomed and surrounded the blonde witch. “After today, this absurd school will no longer plague this country.”

She tried making out the voice but it sounded too distorted, a heavy mixture of male and female, neither dominant, neither identifying. The fog was too thick to reveal anything. The golden streak wrapped around her waist constricted, making certain to keep her bound, yet that magic felt familiar. It took a second for the familiarity to click into place and when it did, the anger in Pippa’s heart stirred. It mingled with her magic causing her hands to glow pink and gold.

“You’re the one who kept me from my family!”

“Family? What family?” laughed the distorted voice, “What you and that abomination bred was a further nightmare. Such is a plague upon the good of magic.”

Her magic began crackled off of her clothing and skin. “What. Did. You. Call. My. Family?” She waited for no response. Consumed by her anger and rage, Pippa unleashed a violent torrent of magic that shattered the streak coiled around her. Instead of falling, the blonde witch hovered. Raising her hand, pink and gold lashed out in very direction, beating back the fog, searching the depths until a startled cry of pain echoed forth.

As the fog began to disperse high above, her anger knew no bounds and she stared at the yellow glowing figure. At first she couldn’t make out their features but as the figure leaned closer, she saw the outline of one of her teachers. “Charlene Bonaparte,” hissed Pippa.

The figure laughed, both in the voice of Charlene and in the voice of another, “She was a sufficient host but I have no use for such weaknesses. She was another fool who believed in your modern filth.”

Pippa shook her head. She hadn’t seen any of this coming but she attacked without warning, sending a powerful hex toward the glowing figure who bore the full brunt of the attack. It staggered back slightly, smoke curling off of its chest. 

Pippa brought her hands closer together, summoning her magic between her palms. It sparked around her. “You kept me from my family,”she said, loudly, clearly, angrily. “You had no right to do so.” Pippa was about to unleash the powerful attack when a blue bubble encased her, forcing her hand, and the spell exploded around her. Her scream was drown out just as the Great Wizard appeared within the shattered remains of her school.

“Bring us down, Kronos,” he commanded. Slowly the Great Wizard, the glowing yellow figure, and the defeated Pentangle floated to the ground. 

She felt the hard, cold ground beneath her. Her vision was coming and going. Magic still coiled off of her. She should have seen it coming, should have known there was more, that another betrayal was at hand but her anger clouded her judgment and now she paid for it. As she tried to move, she noticed the rubble pile across from her and the lone hand sticking out from it. In vain she tried reaching out for Hecate, her name a weak whisper on her lips, but sudden pain engulfed her body and she cried out.

“Enough,” said the Great Wizard and the glowing figure called back the yellow tendrils. “Where is the girl? We must rid ourselves of everyone involved.”

The figure was about to answer when a platform came hurling toward it and just as the figure turned, the platform crushed them. A wave of dust engulfed the area. When it passed, the Great Wizard looked up and sneered. “How dare-” he never finished as he was flung away.

Diana and Christine landed on the stone ground. Diana quickly used her magic to remove the rubble burying her daughter while Christine rushed over to Pippa’s side, muttering a healing spell as she cradled her daughter’s form.

There would, however, be no time to enjoy the reunion as the ground rumbled and the platform Diana had hurled earlier at the figure shattered, sending debris in every direction. A powerful barrier blocked the shards from hitting them and Diana wasted no time in lunging at the figure, her magic in her hands as she drove the figure down, pounding away. “You.” Magically laced punch. “Think.” Another. “You.” And another. “Can.” Followed by another punch. “Hurt.” Punch. “My.” Punch, punch, “Daughter?”

Magic exploded in the area at the violent outburst, Diana held the figure by the collar of their shirt and flung the figure across the area. Her magic curled out, reaching and grasping hold upon two platforms. She wasted no time in smashing both of them against the figure.

Groggily Pippa was coming back. She felt the steady, violent vibrations in the ground, and she looked up. At first thinking she was seeing Hecate but then her mother came into view. She frowned weakly, “Mom?”

Christine smiled gently, “I’m here, darling.” She had one hand raised and it was keeping the barrier up while Diana fought against the time figure. Yellow lights went off as the figure went on the offensive but the elder witch was ready for each blow, blocking, sending away, even absorbing some of the attacks only to hurl them back at the figure.

Suddenly she remembered seeing her beloved buried beneath the rubble and sat up hastily, pain throbbed in her forehead, “Hecate,” she said, waving off her mother’s concern as she looked around. 

Most of the rubble had been removed from the dark haired woman but she still wasn’t stirring. Pippa was about to make her way over when dark tendrils came seeping out of the fog. They wrapped around Hecate, lifted her into the air, and delivered a dangerously strong and long electrical shot.

Hecate’s screams echoed throughout the area. It distracted Diana enough to give the advantage to the time figure as it lunged at her. Together they crashed through a erect stone structure. Pippa screamed. It caught Christine’s attention and she threw out a bolt of magic.

It slammed against the Great Wizard who was thrown backwards. The magic tendrils disappeared causing Pippa to hurl herself forward, catching her beloved before more damage could be done.

The Great Wizard coughed as he rose from the crater he was blown into. He smacked the dust from his clothing, looked at the women, and shook his head. “This fault in magic should never have happened. You won’t succeed here.”

“Oh, I think our odds are pretty good,” said Christine. She removed the cloak from her shoulders and gave it to her daughter. “Hold onto that for me, darling. Mommy’s got to work to do.” She threw her hands out to the side, summoning forth rotating sigils and without warning she and the Great Wizard were caught in a heavy handed fight.

Dust and smoke curled around them. Bits of debris and terrible rumbling shook what was left of her school but none of that mattered right now as she observed her beloved in her arms. Weakly Hecate reached up, brushing the dirt and blood from Pippa’s temple. “You should get that looked at.”

“It’s nothing,” Pippa shook her head, “Your wounds...” she trailed off, not sure where to start as her eyes roamed over the witch.

“Just scratches,” said Hecate but it didn’t stop the cough from tearing at her lungs and throat.

“You’ve always been a terrible liar.” Pippa moved to summon a healing spell but the surprisingly strong fingers wrapped around her wrist halted her magic.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come after you.”

“I think that’s my line, sweetheart,” the blonde gave a soft smile.

There was a dangerously close crash behind them. Pippa knew she had to get the other witch out of there, find a healer, but this place wasn’t going to simply allow them to leave. It was when she felt Hecate’s hand press against her cheek, that she realized the other had been calling her name. “What is it?”

“I need your help,” said Hecate, “to get me to the time fragments.” She pointed weakly at the floating gems in the heart of the chaos. 

There above them, hovering and giving off their glow were the fragments once belonging to a whole time gem. It was of the same magic that had cursed Hecate with the time vortexes but these were stronger, more volatile, and she doubted in her state now that her beloved would survive. 

Pippa shook her head, “No, I can’t.”

“It’s the only way,” said Hecate as she struggled to get to her feet. Pippa had no choice but to guide the dark haired witch up, draping one arm across her shoulders while Pippa’s arm wrapped around her waist. “We need to destroy those.”

“What about you?”

Hecate smiled, “I’ll be fine. I have you by my side.”

The words clenched her heart and all Pippa could do was nod. She summoned her magic, biting back her fear as she transferred them to the nearest platform. The abrupt movement caused Hecate to stagger, losing her balance but Pippa held her tight. She was about to ask if she was alright but the dark haired witch nodded in the direction of another platform. 

As they transferred from platform to platform, below them the twin duels raged on. Diana heaved herself out of a crater, blood pouring from her temple but her eyes held a wild fury none had ever witnessed before. The stone cracked beneath her fingers and she charged at the time mage. With uncanny speed she drew sigil after sigil and when she delivered a punch to the time mage’s jaw, chains shot out of the void. They coiled around the mage’s limbs, bending their back at an uncomfortable angle as the chains attempted to drag them down. 

Struggling against the magical imbued chains, the time mage glowed brighter and brighter. The light caused Diana to step back, shielding her eyes just as an explosion rocked the area. She felt the ground splinter and crack beneath her feet causing her run in the opposite direction. She leapt onto the nearest platform as the ground gave way to reveal a dark spiraling vortex below. It must have come from the shattered time gem. She looked up to see Hecate and Pippa already moving toward the fragments.

Summoning a flaming sphere in her hands, the heat grew and when the intensity reached its peak, she hurled it at the time mage. The fire sphere engulfed them and the roaring flames took hold. But Kronos wasn’t easily subdued as they came leaping out of the flames. Smoke curling off of their body and without warning they crashed into Diana, pushing her into the platform. The platform cracked and ripped from the force of the impact. Before it could crumble, Kronos threw Diana into another platform across the vast area before setting their sights on the younger witches above.

The couple came out of a transference when the platform shook beneath their feet. Hecate pushed the blonde witch aside just as Kronos erupted from the ground. Lifting themselves out of the hole, the glowing figure set its sight upon the dark haired witch. Hecate barely had time to cast a shield when the first attack sent her stumbling back. It broke her shield, the air clouded in a thick layering of dust. Kronos was about to charge at the witch when pink and gold magic wrapped around their neck and yanked the mage back. A strangled choke filled the air.

“Go!” Yelled Pippa, “I got this!”

Hecate wanted to protest the notion but the anger in Pippa’s eyes were unlike anything she had ever seen before. She gave a nod, praying to every previous deity that she would be alright before summoning her magic to transfer to the last platform.

Pippa tightened her grip on the magic ropes she summoned and using all her strength pulled. She took one step back then another and by the third she twisted her upper body round. With the motion, she flung the time mage off of the platform and smashed them into some of the thicker floating debris. She did not draw the ropes back as she forced them to change direction. It strained against her magic and her muscles but she had to buy Hecate enough time.

Suddenly the tension in the ropes disappeared. When Pippa looked she found the time mage gone. She peered into the depths of the fog, searching for Kronos, her heart pounding in her chest. Faintly she heard the crackle of lightning, turning around it was too late. The powerful bolt struck her in the chest, sending her over the edge, hurling straight into the dark vortex below. 

****

Wanda looked from the bubble encasing what remained of Pentangles to her husband. “We have to find a way inside,” she told him.

He surveyed the area but there were no weakness. The elemental storm raging around the bubble had forced them back. Even with their combined magic they would be able to get halfway within striking distance of the barrier. If they did, most of their magic would be drained. It was impossible and he hated to admit such a thing. Slowly shaking his head, “It might be best if we wait this out.”

Wanda was about to object the matter when she saw something moving within the clouds. Both of them looked at the dark shape descending through the storm, never once wavering or being struck by any of the elements that raged wildly about. Then the shape, which looked to be more like a person the longer they watched, landed gracefully of the barrier.

The figure must have done something because a split second later the figure gracefully dropped through the barrier and the raging storm around them began to quiet down. Its intensity no longer the untamed thing instead downgraded to a regular storm but something told the two it would be better to remain on the outside.

****

The first sigil broke and she felt the blood rush down her arm, followed by the stinging pain. christine looked down at her arm, aware it was broken and any magic forced through the limb would only shatter the bone further. She tore part of her sleeve to wrap around the bleeding limb while throwing up her barrier. When she looked up she saw the three sharp dagger piercing the shield and sighed. “Isn’t it time to let go of your foolish grudge?” 

The Great Wizard gave a hollow chuckle. His hat was long gone, his robes scorched and ripped in various places, a deep cut was on his cheek where Christine got past his defenses even his shoulder had been dislocated but he had popped it back into place. Christine was fully aware he was using some sort of magical artifact to enhance his magic but she couldn’t fathom which one. The list of such items was exhaustively long. “You don’t know what’s it’s like.”

Christine’s eyebrows rose and she had to agree with his word. “No, I don’t. I was never rejected unlike you. Did you honestly think Mary would have gone with you?” Christine laughed heartily. “You know nothing of her.”

“Silence!” He roared, magic erupted from around him sending a tidal wave heading straight toward the woman but it never hit. Instead the magic was dissolved, sending a long shower of flower petals raining down from the sky.

There she was. Mary Poppins in all her beauty and grace, umbrella by her side, hat perfectly in place, and a twinkle in her eye when she looked at Christine. “How bad?”

“Broken arm, I’m afraid.”

“Diana?”

Christine shook her head, “I’m not sure. She’s dueling Kronos.”

“Kronos?” repeated the witch, surprised but there was an underlying coldness in her tone. When Christine nodded, Mary turned her attention to the Great Wizard. The smile no longer on her face as she sighed. “Is this really necessary?”

The Great Wizard was taken back by the appearance of the witch he had once attempted to court. It was she who turned his heart bitter and yes, he might have lied to Kronos stating she was his cousin to get the aid of the time mage but what did such a thing matter. She went on to sprout an abomination in his country of magic, something he had sworn would stay out of the world of magic forever. What happened overseas didn’t matter because this country was meant to stay pure. His lips tightened in a thin line, his anger barely contained, “I lost you once to that succubus of a witch and look what it brought!”

“You can’t lose what you never had and I’ll ask you to refrain from calling my wife such,”said Mary. “Why Kronos?”

The Great Wizard huffed out a breath, “Last of his kind. He would give me the future I wanted and undo all this nonsense in return the world would leave him in peace.”

“The only nonsense I see is you. You’ve changed so little.”

“You will not stand in my way, Mary.”

“Oh, but I already am.”

Without warning the Great Wizard launched attack after attack but each was easily cast aside by the witch. He tried engaging her in a duel but his magic was no match against her aside she sidestepped with incredible speed. He lost sight of the witch he once tried to court and when she suddenly appeared in front of him, he froze. 

Mary reached out, her fingertip touching his forehead, rendering the Great Wizard immobile. She stepped back, adjusted her coat, and walked back to Christine. 

“What did you do to him?”

“What I should have done many years ago,” said Mary, “Erased his memories. There’s a slight chance his mind is completely gone but his actions are no longer excusable. Not after this blatant attack on my family.”

She caught sight of something falling from above. “One moment.” Mary transferred on the spot and less than a second later, reappeared holding the unconscious Pippa in her arms. She set the young witch down by her dear friend and looked up. The fog made it difficult to see what was happening above but she knew both Diana and Hecate, her precious family, were still up there. Along with Kronos. “Will you be alright?”

Christine nodded from her daughter’s side, “Yes, I can heal these wounds.”

“Nonsense,” said Mary. “Conserve your strength.” She summoned her bag and placed it by Christine’s side. “You’ll find what you need in there and do mend your arm.” Mary shook out her umbrella. The bird head gave a squawk.

“Be careful, Mary,” said Christine.

Mary offered a faint smile before opening her umbrella and floating into the fog, disappearing all together. 

****

Hecate stumbled, her head swayed from the magic she was absorbing. Her body required rest from the magic attacks dealt to her but she couldn’t. There were still three shards left of the time gem. She needed to absorb them and reroute its magic. Only then could she open the weakness of Kronos. She had spent countless hours reading about her mama’s adventures, of the notes and journal entries she made in her search to find her mom. It was romantic and filled with an endless amount of adventure.

Hecate had noted the way the time mages were connected to the time gems. They couldn’t truly be hurt if the gems were still in existence and while her mama used a different method, Hecate was doing this one because when she was lost in the time vortexes, she caught glimpses of something she hadn’t understood then. 

Now, however, it all made perfect sense.

Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind drifted to Pippa. The anger in her eyes, the way her magic reached out into the world around them and attack, was both parts terrifying and awesome. Yet she couldn’t help worry about her love. She wasn’t sure of any of their magic could fight against Kronos. Not with the fragments still emitting their powerful radiance. 

Staggering to her feet, purple and white tendrils of magic swirled to life in her hands. Hecate reached toward the shards. Her magic grasping two of them when suddenly yellow light bloomed behind her. She quickly poured more of her strength into it and the two shards disappeared before she spun on her heel, arms raised in a hastily drawn sigil.

The ground beneath the time mage’s feet glowed a bright white. Kronos took a step forward, ignoring the magic but that was his mistake as sure enough white bars appeared, trapping him in a cage. The mage let out a growl of frustration, struggling against the sudden confinement.

Hecate reached out for the last shard while she knelt down and drew a sigil on the ground. The shattering of the light bars echoed. She looked at the shard, seeing half of it gone when Kronos lifted her up by the throat. Struggling for air, the dark haired witch smiled, however.

Kronos, confused at the smile, watched as she raised her free hand and snapped her fingers. In that split second the mage looked down to his feet. There glowed a poison green sigil. It hummed once, then twice, then a quick third time before both of them were caught in a devastating explosion.

Hecate was thrown backwards but she wasted no time in grasped what remained of the shard and absorbing it while the platform crumbled beneath Kronos’s feet.

Suddenly the world stopped.

Hecate watched the last bit of the shard dissolve past her skin. This was different than all the time she spent inside of the vortexes. Silence encased her as she found she was no longer falling. The pain and weakness of her body was gone. Looking around Hecate noticed the absolutely chaotic ruined state of Pentangles. Even with this stone she wouldn’t be able to bring it back.

A golden glow hummed around her body. She felt her wounds stitch themselves back together, her magic once on the brink of exhaustion, replenished itself and then some. When she looked away from her hands to find Kronos floating across from her, her fingers curled into fists.

“Why?”

Kronos looked at her blankly. A long silent minute passed before Kronos spoke in that distorted voice. “Because such an existence is a very threat to the fabric of reality.”

“And time mages are not?”countered Hecate, not understanding the reason.

“Time is the essence of reality. It moves things forward, it steadies the flow, it brings reason.”

“You pretend to be gods,” said Hecate, “I have read about your kind. Your magic corrupted your souls and you overreached yourselves.”

“No, we overreached what was once seen as absolution.” Kronos shook their head. “We offered salvation.”

“From what?”

“You would not understand.”

A sudden sigh drew both their attention away. There stood Mary, umbrella in hand, walking on invisible air. “So dramatic.”

Kronos tilted their head at the intrusion. “Mary Poppins.”

“You raise one hand against my child and it’ll be your end, Kronos.”

“You do not understand. If I leave this be, the changes will shake the foundations of time.”

“Time will survive. Time will continue moving.” Mary rolled her eyes, “That was always the problem with your kind. Time mages thought themselves above the others because they looked into the dark and saw futures none of us imagined. But all that staring changed your minds. You thought you were lords in the vast cosmic world, gods in this world, and what you said was truth. But magic doesn’t work that it. It isn’t regulated. It’s not controlled. We control the magic in ourselves but nature is the mother who regulates the flow and you wish to silence it.”

“It is for the greater good.”

Mary shook her head, “You’ve lost all understanding to the greater good.” 

“Perhaps,” said Kronos, “but my path is clear. Is yours?”

“Quite. Hecate, I think it’s time you find mama,” Mary tone brokered no room for a disagreement. She looked at her daughter and gave a brief nod. “You know what to do. I’ll take care of this.”

****

Down below, Pippa was beginning to stir. Her wounds stitched together by the potions applied by her mother from the oversized bag. Christine was just mending her own arm when a bright yellow light pulse went off above them.

“It’s begun,” whispered Christine. Both mother and daughter felt a terrifying chill go down their spines as the light slowly, so very slowly dissolved high above them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, what a wild one. One chapter left then it’s another wrap. Hopefully by Monday or sometime it’ll be up  
> I’ll see you in the next one


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has cost me sleep over the weekend but I’m glad to finally present to you the end of this story. It could have been longer but I decided to cut some parts. Hope everyone enjoys it  
> All mistakes are my own  
> Onto the chapter

The rubble was lifted with ease. Magic cupped heavy loads of rocks and cast the material aside. Much of this place no longer resembled the school that had been built on this plot of land. It was difficult to say if anything would remain. If the soil and earth after all this chaos would be salvageable and that thought truly made her heart go out to the blonde witch. Perhaps Pippa wouldn’t be opposed to rebuilding. Right now, her thoughts were on other matters though.

Hecate dug through the mounds of rubble and debris. Somewhere had to be her mama and she utterly refused to believe the powerful witch was defeated. She got toward the center of one such mound when the entire thing began to rumble. The vibrations grew faster until suddenly everything exploded.

As the dust settled, Hecate lowered her shield to find her mama staggeringly slightly. She rushed over, quickly offering her support. “I’m here, mama,” she said softly.

It took a second for Diana to realize it but when she did, she pulled Hecate into a tight hug. “My starlight,” whispered the elder witch into her daughter’s hair. Her arms tightened before pulling back. She observed her daughter with a smile before looking up. She sensed Mary’s magic the moment it breached the barrier. 

“You can’t,” whispered Hecate fully aware of what her mama had planned.

Diana smiled softly, sadly. A hand coming up to brush the tears from her daughter’s face. She kissed Hecate’s forehead. “I have to, starlight. I can’t let mom face this alone.”

Hecate shook her head, “I can’t lose you both.”

“You won’t.” She grasped her daughter’s face and made her look her in the eyes. “Hey, you won’t. Not today. But I do have to help your mother. I can’t let her face this alone. You’d do the same if it was Pippa. I know that’s not fair to say but it’s something that has to be done.” 

Hecate wanted to refuse the words, the very notion, but she also knew her mama would go regardless. Defeated, she nodded, “I love you..”

Diana smiled, pressing another lingering kiss to her daughter’s forehead, “I love you too, starlight. And I am impossibly proud of you. Never forget that.” 

Then Hecate felt nothing but empty air as her mama transferred away. She looked up to where she knew the fight was taking place. Part of her wanted to join in but this wasn’t her fight. It was the unfinished business of her parents and with great reluctance the dark haired witch transferred below.

Barely coming out of the transference she was engulfed in warm arms and a blur of blonde hair. Hecate smiled as she smelled Pippa’s sweet perfume and wrapped her arms around her love, squeezing tightly, gently, reassuringly.

“You’re safe,” whispered Pippa and she felt the dark haired witch nod. She drew back, fingertips running over Hecate’s jaw, the other hand tangled in her free flowing locks, and pulled her into a long kiss. It was one of reassurance, of life, of relief, and the utter knowledge that they were both alright. 

Christine smiled at the reunion, knowing that those two were back together but as much as she hated to break it apart, their role in this matter wasn’t over yet. “Alright, lovebirds, we have to leave.”

“We can’t,” Hecate shook her head.

“Hecate, dear, I know how much you want to stay but if we do, this entire place will crumble into the vortex and I think you’ve spent more than enough time in those.” Christine walked over, Mary’s bag in her hand, and the other arm in a sling. “Believe in your parents. They know what they are doing.”

Hecate turned her gaze to the sight above but she could neither see or hear anything of what was transpiring. The ground on which they stood was already breaking up, crumbling away, falling into the vortex below and with the steady quakes, it was only a matter of time. She felt Pippa’s hand in hers, her other arm on Hecate’s bicep, and gently she nudged her back.

It was with a heavy heart that Hecate looked away from above. Pippa pressed their foreheads together, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

She nodded and the three of them were whisked away, out of the chaos, past the barrier, and to the calm outside where they were greeted by Wanda and Jarvis. They didn’t notice the car pulling up to the lot. Josephine practically jumped out of the passenger seat and leapt into her mom’s arms, crying.

Indigo followed after the girl, noticing the mess beyond the group, “She insisted on coming.”

Hecate knelt down and Josephine quickly wrapped her arms around her mother, “I thought you were gone,” said the girl.

Hecate smiled, “Not in a million years.” Rising to her feet, she lifted her daughter up and looked out to the barrier, troubled. Her embrace tightened, pressing a kiss to Josephine’s temple. 

Pippa moved back from the pair only to be stopped by Hecate’s soft grip on her wrist. Puzzled she looked at her beloved, who gently pulled her closer. It was then Josephine turned to look at her, speaking before her mother could get the words out, “You’re my other mom.”

Pippa felt her breath hitch in her throat and she nodded weakly, “Yes.”

Josephine reached into her jacket and pulled out a bundle of letters. “Gwen and I found these in the basement. I don’t know who kept them there but I think you should have them back.”

Pippa took the letters with trembling hands. She saw the dates and the yellowed parchment, knowing fully well these were the letters kept from her twelve years ago. Nodding her thanks she wasn’t sure what she should say but when Hecate set her daughter back on the ground, there was a slight stare off between the two when suddenly Josephine wrapped her arms around the blonde witch’s waist. “Did mom ever tell you I accidentally dumped too much toad stool into one of her potions and turned her hair blue for an entire month?”

“Blue?” repeated Pippa in disbelief, trying not to laugh at the sight of Hecate with blue hair. Hecate shook her head.

“Yep! She was pretty mad about it even though I tried making donuts to make up for it.”

“Donuts would have worked on me,” said Pippa.

Josephine nodded, “They’re my favorite too. We have so much to catch up on.”

“We do,” agreed Pippa. She offered her hand to her daughter, “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” Looking over her shoulder, she smiled softly at her beloved, knowing the distraction was doing her good and kept her from being too worried about what was happening inside the barrier. It was then Pippa officially introduced her mother to their daughter and even though they had met several times before, it did a great deal of good to finally have all the pieces of the family sink into place.

“And here you thought you wouldn’t get a happy ending,” Indigo nudged her best friend’s shoulder.

“I should hex you,” muttered Hecate.

“Yeah but I think a thank you would be better.” Indigo grinned before laughing. She embraced her best friend, elated in that moment that at least one thing was turning out right, and when she moved to ask about the situation, a massive quake shook the area.

****

Clouds of dust and smoke smothered the air but Mary looked to her shoulder, seeing the tear in her favorite blue coat, and clenched her jaw. This was a most valuable jacket, a sentimental thing. She doubted, however, Kronos would understand such a thing. Speaking of the time mage, she raised her umbrella in time to block the attack from the mage’s staff. The sharp crystal point dangerously close to her cheek but Mary appeared unfazed by the sight. 

“Why do you insist on this life?” The time mage pushed against the witch’s umbrella yet her strength was rather surprising for such a slender woman.

“Because it is mine,” said Mary. “Funny, how far such a simple thing can go but my heart cannot live without them.” She pushed the time mage back, generating a few feet of distance between them, “It’s a simple concept, Kronos. It reaches far beyond time and space.”

Kronos shook their head, not quite understanding because they saw the larger picture, the overall view of things. As such it was all consumed by the rapidly growing chaos. Unable to fathom why others could and would not see what they saw became a struggle steeped in impossibly heavy weight upon their shoulders. “It will not last.”

“No, death comes for us all,” agreed Mary, “but some things are just worth fighting for. Some things are bigger than everything that is yet to come.”

Kronos did not understand and in being unable to understand, the time mage did what was necessary: erase the confusing obstacle and press on with fulfilling the important matters and reigning in the control gifted to the time mages. Raising a hand, small spheres of magic appeared, spinning slowly then faster and faster.

Mary glanced around as yellow lightning danced across the fog barrier surrounding them. She had previously noted the vortex swirling far below them and was keenly aware of its devouring of the area but that was a different matter. One not important just yet. She dropped the umbrella to her side, wondering vaguely if she could get her coat fixed before Diana noticed when a deadly tempestuous storm come hurling her way. 

In a snap her umbrella was open, absorbing the brunt of the attack, and with a well practiced spin of her wrist, the magic was dispelled. She was about to counter it when the time mage’s staff sliced cleanly through her umbrella and with a twist removed the offending object from her grasp. Mary watched the cherished item fall through the fog, disappearing below. That had been a family heirloom.

She turned to look at the time mage and removed her gloves. Holding her hand up, the time mage was flung back but recovered quietly as Kronos flipped over, landing, then lunge forward. The mage swung the staff wildly but each strike was deflected by an invisible barrier as they forced Mary back, step by step.

The witch flicked her hand to the left causing a long pillar of stone to come storming out of the fog. It crashed into Kronos, sending the mage back. Without the glowing magic around their body, harm come now be inflicted and it was a realization that quickly dawned on the time mage when the noticed the pale blood pouring down their temple.

Mary didn’t allow the mage time to recover as she fired of sigil after sigil, drawn faster than the eye could follow. Attack after attack bombarded the mage but Kronos summoned forth a portal and fell through it. A deafening silence surrounded Mary. The fog swirled at a sluggish pace, refusing to reveal anything. She looked to the right out of the corner of her eye.

Suddenly she pushed off the invisible ground, flipping backwards, as Kronos’s familiar staff came shooting out of the fog. But doing so appeared to be predicted for the time mage appeared from below to deliver a magical laced kick to Mary’s side. It threw her off balance yet she managed to recover, sliding across the open air, still on her feet, clutching her side.

Kronos raised their hand where small crystal beads were beginning to form. Without warning, the air grew stale and heavy, breathing became limited then impossible as an encumbering silence closed in around them. A sharp snap sealed the area off.

She should have expected this, should have seen this coming, regardless she became trapped in the mirror plane again. It was quickly becoming a repeat of the last time she faced off against the time mages. Problem was back then she wasn’t alone. Now, however, she struggled against the mirror dimension. It’s silence threatening to close in around her, to bring about memories of another life, of the path that would have unfolded if Diana had been too late.

As quickly as the mirror dimension came, it disappeared, shattered into countless shards and she felt warm arms pull her free from its devastating hold. She looked up to find Diana smiling that rather over confident smile. “Didn’t think I’d leave you alone, did you?”

Mary scoffed, shaking her head lightly while crossing her arms over her chest, “You may put me down now.”

Diana did as she was told but couldn’t resist brushing her lips across her wife’s cheek before she turned to survey the area. Kronos was nowhere to be seen as was expected. The mirror dimension was a diversion but whatever for? Diana quickly drew a sigil below them, turning the air to water. She grabbed hold of her wife’s hand and pulled her away. The attack missed them by bare inches, the water turned to sharp crystallized ice fragments.

Mary stepped in front of Diana, her arms waving out as her magic came alive and drew the golden orange strings that wrapped around the staff. She wasted little time in tightening the strength in her magic, cleanly slicing the staff in half. As it fell to the invisible ground, Mary’s heel crushed the crystal tip.

A horrid scream unleashed itself in the fog. The very air seemed to vibrate from the sound and it was then the world descended into darkness. Mary took several steps back, looking at the darkness spreading across the fog, but Diana was already by her side, a hand, gentle, on her lower back.

“One last time into the past?” Diana asked softly.

Mary swallowed the lump in her throat. The past was something she preferred not to deal with. Not anymore. Not given how many years she already clung to her family. But there wasn’t much of a choice. She didn’t scare easily but it was what awaited them that absolutely terrified them. She felt her wife’s soft kiss on her temple and stepped closer.

“I will always find you,” said Diana, “always.”

Everything went black.

****

Hecate rummaged through her mother’s bag. The various potions were pushed aside, the books and other items were sent further down. Where was it? She could have summoned it by magic but doubted such a thing would obey her. Instead she plunged her arm further in. It was after a minute that her fingers brushed against the amulet. Another ten seconds before she found it again and managed to pull it out. 

Suddenly it flew out of her hands and when she looked in the direction, Christine caught it neatly with one hand. 

“Mom?” came Pippa’s confused voice.

Christine offered her daughter a smile but there was a sadness in her eyes. “It’s not your fight,” she told the two.

“Christine, I can’t ask you-” Hecate’s words were lost in the laughter of the elder witch.

“This was never about that, Hecate, you know that. Your parents and I have fought many battles before the two of you were born. I lost my husband because of it. But now you’ll have to stay here.” Christine removed the sling from her arm, flexing her fingers. Without warning she summoned her magic and created a barrier between her and group. 

“Mom!” Pippa rushed forward, her hands pressed against the barrier.

“Stay with your family, darling. This is something we oldies have to take care.” With that Christine activated the amulet and disappeared. What was seen, however, was a white streak of light pierce the dark barrier beyond.

Those left behind were forced to wait with a heavy dread in their hearts.

****

She knew this place. Remembered it. Vividly. Hauntingly. And it turned her blood to ice. Mary stared past all the people walking by. None of them paid her any attention. It was what loomed in the center of the city that drew her attention. 

This wasn’t London. There was no Big Ben. No, this was the capital of the magical community before it was torn down, long before she met Diana, long before she held her own precious bundle of joy in her hands. No, this was Pentacost and there looming in the middle was the spiraling ever reaching tower belonging to the time mages.

The steady droning of the bells echoed across the city. The citizen long used to it but for Mary it brought back nightmareish memories that haunted her for a lifetime. She tore her eyes away, searching the crowd, but Diana was no where to be found. When she looked at herself in the window of a store, she no longer wore her usual attire.

Dressed in the long flowing robes of the time mages, her hair hidden beneath a long, beautiful pattern shawl, she felt the panic set in. Kronos had played them all for fools and in turn the mage used the Great Wizard to further an agenda that had corrupted the very heart of Pentacost. 

Mary knew.

Mary had been there.

Mary had been responsible for the destruction of this very city and its people.

With her heart racing in her chest, Mary weaved her way through the crowd yet the crowd didn’t lessen, didn’t part for her passing, instead it felt too much like the crowd was growing thicker, more clustered, and in turn pressing in on her in an attempt to render her immobile.

Her magic bristled beneath her skin. Her heartbeat increased. She hadn’t lost control in such a long time. Then a heavy chime swayed over the city. Its citizen froze, turning, staring up at the spiraling tower. Mary felt further panic set in.

This couldn’t be happening. No, she stopped it. She stopped this madness.

The whispering voices reached her ears, coming from every direction, zeroing in on her. She was losing her hold. The words, horrid, accusatory, vindictive, harsh, hammered away at her. 

Purple flames came alive in her hands. It licked away at the world, at the clothes she wore, but the whispers wouldn’t cease, instead growing louder and louder. The people all blaming her for what befell the city, her city.

Shaking her head, she fell to her knees as she looked toward the tower. It’s once brilliant beacon of hope, now nothing more than a nightmare as it began to decay and crumble. Her magic slipped further beyond her control. The flames roaring higher until there was nothing filling her vision except for the tower and deep uncontrollable purple flames.

She tried thinking of her family, of her gorgeous wife Diana, and the life they brought into the world. But the images were fleeting and heavy, almost as though they were tied to an impossible anchor that kept sinking and sinking.

Mary was on the verge of losing control when soft hands touched hers. Familiar magic reached through the purple flames, grasping her hands, gently guiding the elder witch back to her feet. She looked up to find herself face to face with Diana, who held a soft smile on her lips. 

“I’ll always find you,” said Diana gently. Her smile widening as she pulled her wife into her arms. “Close your eyes. I’m right here.”

Mary did close her eyes, sinking further into the embrace belonging to her wife, and took a deep breath. She didn’t even have to fight off the memories of the past, of Pentacost. Everything about her life came rushing back as if whatever clung to the anchor was shaken off. Flashes of their first meeting, first kiss, their wedding, the birth of their daughter, granddaughter, of their lives together reeled through her mind. Slow then faster and faster.

When Mary opened her eyes again, Pentacost was gone. Those dreadful robes of the time mages gone. She heaved a sigh of relief upon being back in her familiar skirt, blouse, and coat. A coat which unfortunately was still ripped. She felt her wife’s fingers brush along the tear. “I’ll mend it when we’re home.”

Diana shrugged half heartedly, “It’s a rather old thing, this coat.”

“It was your coat.”

“Was it?” Diana frowned slightly, “I distinctly remember giving it to this beautiful woman when it started raining and she never gave it back.”

“You insisted I keep it,” corrected Mary.

“The blue always did bring out your eyes.” Diana brought her hand up to gently caress her beloved wife’s cheek. “How are you feeling?” 

“I could have done without the trip down memory lane.”

“Hmm, quite.”

“But it seems Kronos is intent on bringing back Pentacost.”

“Then it seems I’m just in time!” Came a voice from above them. Christine landed lightly by the couple and brushed down the creases in her robes, the amulet in her hands. “Let’s finish what they started.”

Diana shook her head, “Why must you always interrupt our moments?”

“Oh, that was a moment? My apologies,” said Christine rather dramatically, “Here I thought the two of you could use some help but instead of a thank you, what do I get? ‘Interrupted my moment, blah , blah, blah.”

“I sound nothing like that! I should hex you.”

“A thank you would suffice,” smiled Christine cheekily, “Shall we?” She nodded in the direction of the spiraling tower. Half of it was still left in ruin and decay but what was standing was humming with dangerous, uncontrollable magic. Christine held up the amulet and as it gave off a faint glow, the time was upon them.

The walk toward the ominous tower was brief but nerve wrecking. While Mary wasn’t the biggest fan of holding hands, having Diana’s hand in her own during the walk helped a great deal. Massive wooden doors loomed before them in a silent greeting. The steel around the wood was adorned by ancient sigils once belonging to the city of Pentacost. Mary felt the fear around her heart tighten its icy talons and for once she didn’t wish to walk past the gates.

“Christine,” spoke Diana, drawing the other woman’s attention. 

The blonde looked between them and nodded, “Right, don’t mind me. I’ll be over by the door. Take your time.” Christine walked closer to the doors, extracting the amulet from her pocket, and began tinkering with it.

Diana pulled her wife into her arms, feeling her trembling from the sight of the door, and whatever lied beyond. “You could stay back,” she suggested, knowing full well her wife would never.

Mary rolled her eyes at the words, “You know I can’t.” The elder witch didn’t pull back though instead resting her chin on her love’s shoulder and bringing her arms up her back to press her even closer. “I’m terrified,” she whispered, “so terrified I’ll never see you or Hecate or Josephine ever again.”

“You know I won’t allow that to happen,” said Diana. 

Mary didn’t say anything. She couldn’t because she remembered the past, the narrow slot of time which almost brought that to the forefront. She had even witnessed the other life her daughter had lived through. One of a terrible confinement with neither her or Diana by her side. It pained her greatly to know such a path existed. And now this madness with Kronos stood before them, waiting for them to pass through the doors. Slowly she nodded, drawing back from the comforting embrace of her wife as though it was the last time. 

A weak but soft smile graced her lips when she felt Diana’s hand on her cheek. Mary leaned closer and the kiss they shared was bittersweet. Mary fearing an end was at hand and Diana attempting to reassure her they would make it out together. Diana kissed her again before giving her a questioning look and Mary nodded, taking a deep breath.

Making their way over to the door, a bright glow emitted from the amulet in Christine’s hands. Suddenly three glowing lights hovered above them. Christine let out a heavy sigh, “Shall we?”

Diana looked from the glowing lights to her wife. Mary nodded, raising her arm, her fingertips brushing against a light. It glowed brighter as it nestled on her palm then light swarmed down, encasing the witch. When the light disappeared, Mary’s regular clothes were gone instead replaced by the carefully crafted scale armor she wore a long time ago. The clinking of the metal as she curled her fingers into a fist ushered forth memories from decades ago.

Diana and Christine followed suite, soon dressed in their own armor, and Diana cracked her neck as she summoned forth the blade whip and flung it out toward the doors. The deadly tip glinted before becoming embedded in the wood. With a powerful push, the blue flames of magic swirling alive around her hands and forearms, the doors were heaved open.

Silence greeted them on the inside. The ceiling loomed high above them, almost invisible as the darkness took hold of it. The air wasn’t stale but it did have a dead essence to it. The heart of this last time vortex hadn’t changed much since their last visit. When they left that final time, it had crumbled away, falling silent as all magic left it. Now it was much the same. There wasn’t much magic here. In fact the only magic they felt aside from their own was the weakening pulses of Kronos.

A plan was about to be voice when a massive statue fell from the darkness above. Its massive stone fist slammed into the floor, shaking the area. Diana and Christine were pushed to one side, Mary forced in the opposite path, effectively separating the group.

With a well practiced flick of her wrist, the blade chain flew forward. It coiled around the statue’s neck and Diana pulled until the head popped off. The statue dissolved to dust. “Mary!”

“I’m alright!” came her wife’s voice from beyond the massive pile of rubble. 

“I’ll find another route to you.”

“No,” Mary surveyed the area, knowing it was once a library, before swallowing the lump in her throat. “We find Kronos first. Pentacost can’t come back.”

“Mary,” said Diana through the rubble, the concern lacing her words.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Be careful!”

Mary nodded but didn’t say anything else as she stepped deeper into the room. Cobwebs and dust lined the shelves, some parchments looked brittle to the touch, the books seemed hollow versions of themselves. She resisted the urge to run her fingers along the familiar spines. Once there was precious magic here and the learning was filled with abundance but it had lost all meaning. When she found the doors, flames erupted from her hands. The orange licked over the doors, spreading in both directions, devouring the shelves and everything within reach.

She did not look back.

****

Diana shared a familiar pained look with Christine, who gently squeezed her shoulder. “Come on, we’ll find her again,” said Christine. She glanced upwards but there were no stairs. There were, however, plenty of broken and jagged pieces of the architecture. “Fancy a race?”

Diana chuckled, “Have you ever won before?”

“Yes,” said Christine, “that time in Malta.”

“Oh, you call that winning. I call that a face plant.”

“It was a victory kiss to the ground. Your eyesight was very poor back then.”

“Hmm, I did get slimed by those gorgons.”

“Who would have thought they moved to Malta and kept the treasure of Medusa’s Bane?”

“It wasn’t even valuable,” sighed Diana. She looked up, the whip already spinning in her hand, “You go right, I go left.” She didn’t really give Christine a choice as she threw the whip out and launched herself into the air. 

“Cheater!” Regardless Christine summoned forth a long rope, threw it out, it circled around a lone piece of metal, and the witch moved upwards. 

The ascent went rather well. Something both of them found off. There were points where Diana paused, sending out her magic, trying to find her wife but nothing would come back. Not even the slightest inkling. 

Soon the two witches stood on jagged pieces of metal and stone looking up into the swirling depths. Another portal awaited them, this one quite unlike anything they travelled below yet it was obvious they would pass through it. 

“If I die,” started Christine.

“You won’t,” said Diana, rolling her eyes.

“If I die,” repeated the elder witch, “make sure that daughter of yours marries mine.”

Diana laughed, “Oh, I think you’ll live through this just plan it all out.”

“Well yes,” said Christine grinning, “but I was just-”

“Being dramatic like always,” finished Diana.

“Hey, at least I didn’t take five years to ask out my future spouse.”

“I was being respectable!”

“Of what? The planet’s rotation?”

“Oh, I will dread the day we become related.”

Christine laughed heartily, “It’ll be such a beautiful ceremony.”

“No, nope,” Diana shook her head, “you will never let me hear the end of this.”

“Just like when you nearly lost the engagement ring.”

“You started that quake in those ruins.”

“Good times,” sighed Christine wistfully.

Diana gave a solemn nod, “Some of the best.”

“Yeah, what do you say we make our kids proud?”

Diana smiled at her best friend, “After you.”

But they went together, leaping away from their respected platforms, and passing through the portal. 

****

Mary explored the remnants of the tower. It hadn’t changed since its first destruction rolled through but the sight of some things raised a curious question. How had any of this survived? The war against the corrupted time mages took everything, every ounce of magic, every spell, every power, ancient relics discovered by her wife and Christine, and more. Pentacost would have ushered in a future for magic if the corruption hadn’t spread. But it did and it seeped into every corner of the city. The citizens were sacrificed to fuel the growing plans of the time mages, their magic sucked from their very souls, and the horror...

Mary shook her head. She shouldn’t be dwelling on the past. The nightmares had long been beaten back with the aid of Diana yet being in this place sent shivers down her spine. The armor felt different than the last time she had worn it. It was stiff in some places and pinched in others. 

Pausing when her gloved hand touched the door, Mary lingered. She knew what waited beyond the rotting wooden door and it was something she wanted to destroy. Yet it was the very thing that would lessen the path to Kronos. With a deep breath she pushed open the door, unsurprised to see the room in ruins aside from a large mirror in the far right.

The pristine mirror stood stark, almost illuminated by an invisible light, and the runes etched around it hummed a gentle bright blue. Walking up to the mirror, her fingertips touched the reflective surface. It rippled and without further ado, Mary stepped through the mirror.

Stark greyness surrounded her. The world was upside down yet she didn’t hold the fear of falling as she looked to the varying building roofs below. Her gaze was directed at the lone figure across from her. Raising her arm, she summoned the familiar emerald and gold staff, its crystal glinted briefly. 

Kronos inclined their head, a greeting of sorts, as the time mage stood staff in hand. A light breeze drifted between them. The busy world below oblivious to what was going on and Mary knew it was a time loop. This was the fight that would end it all.

She stood her ground when Kronos leapt forward, staff raised, and at the last second she sidestepped it, twisting her staff around. The duel began without a word. Both knew what was at stake. Neither would hold back as the impossible unfolded.

****

A painfully long hour passed until something finally happening. The barrier in the distance where Pentangles once stood cracked at the very top. A light shined through the various cracks before pieces fell inwards, collapsing slowly. Then with a sudden and violent rumble, the barrier imploded.

Bright light blinded everyone in the surrounding area. Ringing filled their ears but when sound began filtering back in and everyone looked toward the place, they found it barren. The shield created by Christine Pentangle fell away. There, however, was no sight of the witch.

Wanda and Jarvis were the first to head toward the area, fully prepared to block the others incase of an unfavorable outcome. They were greeted with an area of dust and dirt. Nothing of the beloved school remained. Not even a single stone. It was a good thing this occurred during the holidays and all students were safely back home with their families.

The others arrived in the whisper of a strong transference. Hecate kept her daughter back and Indigo quickly pulled the young girl against her, not willing to let her go explore. The child, however, had no inkling to explore. A deep rooted fear sank into her heart causing her to stay where she was.

Hecate’s dark eyes surveyed the scene. The absolute silence humming around them even the birds and insects had gone. It was a bad omen. Worry gnawed at her heart. She looked to Pippa to find the same concern etched on her beautiful features. A gasp caught their attention and when they looked, a small tear ripped into existence in what was once the courtyard of Pentangles.

“Hecate,” came Pippa’s cautious voice when the dark haired witch walked toward it.

She paused then continued forward. Inside the tear there were faint shapes but it was too dark to see anything. Something suddenly moved across the surface of the tear too fast to be seen by the normal eye and she didn’t know why but Hecate summoned forth a barrier around her and the tear, preventing everyone else from coming too close. 

Green lashes of magic lightning spilled out of the tear causing Hecate to quickly step aside. She heard the rumbling within and without warning, her magic reached out, coiling around the green lightning lashes, and pulled. Without warning, the tear opened to a decent size. A scene of pure horror revealed itself. Whatever the place was beyond that portal was coming down and fast.

Large chunks of stone broke free from the half tower, falling toward the ground, shattering into countless pieces as each impact ushered forth massive clouds of dust. The dark chaos and destruction was all the eye could see until there came a familiar pink glint in the distance, about midway on the crumbling tower.

Hecate went without warning, vaguely hearing Pippa scream her name, as she twisted her wrist. The familiar dark melting of the transference encased her and she reappeared on a falling stone before transferring to the next and then the next until she appeared where the pink light had glinted seconds before.

Her hands shot up, creating a barrier that stopped a massive cluster of stone from crashing down. Straining to keep the weight up, she looked around and found her mama and Christine, bloodied and bruised. Christine looking worse than the other.

“Get her out of here,” yelled Diana. She practically dragged her best friend over before handing her over to her daughter. “I’ll be right behind you!”

“Where’s mom?”

“Don’t you worry, I’ll get her. Now go!” Diana reached out and reassuringly placed a hand on her daughter’s cheek, “Right behind you, my starlight.”

Hecate nodded, taking one of Christine’s arms and placing it around her shoulders, and her other hand grasped the witch by the waist. “Ready?”

But Christine stopped her. She fumbled with the amulet, switching it off causing the armor to disappear, “Let’s go before this place comes down.”

The transference wasn’t done in phases this time instead it was one big teleportation to the opening of the tear. Luckily for them, they made it just in time as the front of the tower came crashing down, hurling a massive wave of dust in their direction, enveloping all in sight.

The dust rushed through the tear only to be blocked by the barrier created by Hecate and Pippa rushed forward, pressing her hands against it, trying in vain to look beyond the dust. When it began settling, she let out a breath of relief when she saw Hecate and her mother. Carefully the dark haired witch created an opening and guided Christine through. Pippa came to their aid, grasping her mother by her free side and together they walked away from the barrier.

Setting the elder witch down on a jutted piece of stone, Christine pulled her daughter into a tight embrace, relieved to be back. Pippa returned the embrace before looking over her mother’s wounds. “What happened?”

Christine shook her head, “It doesn’t matter. It’s over now.”

Hecate looked back to the barrier and was about to move toward the tear when a strong grip stopped her. She found herself face to face with Pippa, a fiery anger in her eyes. “Don’t you dare ever do that again.”

“Pippa,” started the witch.

Pippa shook her head, “No, we have a daughter to raise. I’m not letting you go off to rescue them. I’m not losing you again.”

“I-”

The argument never reached fulfillment as a harsh quake shook the entire area. More and more dust fumed against the barrier, threatening to bring it down, and the tear glowed a dangerous neon green before it gave off a crack and exploded. The deafening noise hung in the air. Pippa’s grip tightened on her beloved’s hand but the stunning sight kept Hecate rooted in her spot.

The silence was broken by the sharp crack. The single crack echoed followed by further silence until suddenly the crack expanded, sounding like ice breaking apart under an unexpected weight. The barrier shattered yet the dust remained in place.

An invisible vacuum opened, sucking the dust back into the tear. With a resounding pop, the tear collapsed in on itself and vanished from sight. 

Standing where the tear had been was Diana carrying the unconscious Mary in her arms. She took a step then seemed to decide against it as she fell to her knees. Exhaustion weighed heavy on her shoulder, her magic still curling off of her body in faint streaks, but none of that was important. She cradled her wife’s form in her arms. One arm tucked under her neck, the other coming up to touch her cheek. Her fingers trembled, not sure what she could do.

Diana had arrived halfway during the fight. Kronos hadn’t managed to get the upper hand but the magic was already being drained from both of them. It seemed to be Kronos’s plan; to keep them fighting until the area had managed to drain them both of their magic and activate the restoration of Pentacost. Diana’s arrival had interrupted that. She helped her wife turn the tide of the battle but Kronos seemed to be prepared.

The time mage activated various traps, determined to keep the witch occupied while draining their magic. It ended with Diana snapping Kronos’s neck and throwing his body into the last vortex. Everything changed with Kronos’s death. The vortex gave off one final pulse which rendered Mary unconscious then the entire area began collapsing. 

Everything happened in such a blur after that.

Diana looked up, meeting her daughter’s eyes, willing the tears not to fall. She refused to believe the worst was upon them. Not after all this time. Not after everything they had gone through.

“Mary,” her voice, the softest whisper, “Mary, I need you to come back to me.”

Christine struggled to her feet, a hand clutching her side, and took a few tentative steps forward. She hadn’t witnessed the battle instead preoccupied the other forces from preventing Diana from getting to her wife. She ignored the wooziness in her head, shaking it off, as she looked to her best friend.

“Mary,” but the witch didn’t stir from her wife’s pleas. Diana lowered her head against her love’s chest, the tears falling freely into the ruined blue coat. 

Before the sorrow could sink in Mary gave a gasping breath, her eyes blinking open, before she coughed and Diana pulled back in surprise and shock. “You’re alive.”

Mary frowned, “Of course I am. What did you think?” She scoffed at the shocked looks on everyone’s faces. “Really? Honestly,” Mary shook her head. “Such nonsense. A nap does magic good.”

Diana was the first to laugh at the ridiculous notion. “Just like you to brush off nearly dying.”

“Dying? Oh, Hardbroom, you’ll not be rid of me that easily.”

Diana grinned, “Good.” And before Mary could say another thing, her wife pulled in for a deep, lingering kiss. When it ended there was a healthy dusting of a blush on Mary’s cheeks.

“Yes, well,” she brushed the dust from her coat, “perhaps we could stand now.”

Diana’s magic enveloped both of them, bringing them to their feet, and the relief washed over everyone. Mary wasted no time in pulling her daughter into a crushing hug which was followed by Josephine nearly tackling her grandmother.

“I am sorry about your school, Pippa,” said Mary, once a comfortable yet solemn silence fell over the area.

Pippa looked around the area, “The students are safe. That’s the important thing. Plus I could always rebuild it.”

With the battle at an end, England now needed to clean up the remnants of what stayed behind. The council sent a full investigative team there, silencing what remained of the time relics and gems. It would take months before a new Great Wizard was chosen, seeing as how this one perished in the fight and it was better this way. The council had been investigating him for the last five years and finally mounted enough evidence against the man.

The students of Pentangles were taken to another school, offered up by Mary as being similar to what Pippa was building. Thankfully with their education going smoothly, Pippa could focus on her family. The council was all for rebuilding her school but it would take time and it was best a new location would be chosen. For now, however, Pippa was in Spain, on leave, recovering from the swirling days of everything.

She stood on the balcony of the Hardbroom mansion, still dressed in her nightgown, having just woken. A warm cup of tea in her hands. The sun slowly rising on the horizon while the gentle ocean waves rolled below. It was a beautiful mansion. She smiled when she heard the glass door slid open behind her. Warm arms wrapped around her waist from behind and she leaned into Hecate’s embrace as the witch kissed her bare shoulder.

“I could wake up every morning like this,” Pippa said softly.

“Then why don’t you?” said Hecate.

“If that’s your idea of a proposal, you’ll have to work a bit harder.”

“I suppose I’ll return the ring then,” murmured Hecate as she summoned the box, containing the engagement ring she had custom made well over a decade ago.

Before Pippa could say anything Josephine came bursting into the room and embraced both her parents. “Can we have donuts for breakfast?”

Hecate gave their daughter a look and the girl sighed in defeat, “Worth a shot. I wonder if grandma will make crepes.” She hurried back inside and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Pippa laughed softly, “You know I wouldn’t mind another one or two running around our house.”

Hecate raised a delicate eyebrow, “You’re getting ahead of yourself, Pentangle.”

“Hmm, Am I?” Pippa draped her arms around Hecate’s shoulder, stepping closer to the love of her life, “I was also thinking of a May wedding or perhaps August.”

“We’re not even engaged yet,” countered Hecate but there was a soft smile on her lips already. “And who said anything about a wedding?”

“Well you for starters and the ring,” Pippa still held the closed ring box in her hand as she drew closer, “Oh, I can see it in your eyes, darling.” 

“You’re impossible.”

“And you’re impossibly in love with me.” Her lips a whisper away from Hecate’s lips.

Hecate smiled, “Fortunately for you, I am.” Then she slotted her lips over Pippa’s, claiming them in a gentle kiss that grew more passionate.

Several years later

Pippa was looking through the baby clothes area and while they already had plenty, she couldn’t help but admire the little white onesie decorated with an array of colored donuts and the one with penguins right next to it. These would be perfect given that they were expecting twins. She took them both off the rack and turned around. Unfortunately she was too busy admiring the cute designs to notice the other woman and they lightly bumped into one another. 

“Excuse me,” said the curly haired woman softly.

“My fault entirely,” said Pippa, smiling warmly.

“I’m sorry but you don’t look like you’re expecting,” said the woman.

Pippa laughed, “Not me, but my wife is. Twins. I’m super excited.” She beamed and it’s true, she was. This time she would be around for everything even though she had to balance her school but Wanda was more than happy to take over for a handful of weeks. 

The woman let out a breath, “Just a girl for me. Thankfully. I’m Julie Hubble.”

“Pippa Pentangle,” then a memory came to Pippa’s mind, “She’s going to be a special one.”

Julie ran her hand over her belly and smiled, “Don’t I know it.”

The two promised to stay in touch and after Pippa purchased the clothing along with other items, she transferred back home. She leaned down to kiss her wife softly. Still surprised and ever grateful the two of them were living this life together.

“More clothes, Pipsqueak? Really?”

“They’re adorable! You can’t deny that.”

Hecate rolled her eyes but vanquished the items to the baby room. Pippa joined her on the couch, wrapping her arms around her beloved and pulling her closer. She pressed a kiss to the dark haired witch’s temple, her fingers gently caressing the growing belly. Her heart elated, blessed, happier than she could ever imagine especially when her engagement and wedding ring glinted under the light.

“Oh, you’ll never guess who I met today. Julie Hubble, a very pregnant Julie Hubble.”

Hecate was silent for a moment then groaned. Pippa’s laughter echoed in the living room for a moment before it was silenced by a kiss.

Everything was right in the world even if their twins would eventually end up in school with one troublesome Mildred Hubble at the better than ever Pentangles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s all for me. This saga has come to an end and it’s been an emotional ride. I truly hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’m beat but very content with it.  
> Not sure if I’ll ever write another story so a big thank you to everyone who joining in this journey and in my other story. You guys are amazing!  
> I’ll see you around. Also a big thank you to Morgansoul who created that beautiful picture collage!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Diana / Mary](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19131517) by [morgansoul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgansoul/pseuds/morgansoul)




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